Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2 Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
Abstract
In recent years, attention to functional foods containing probiotics as a solution to improve health has increased significantly. However, maintaining the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA5) in acidic and salty products such as jalapeno pepper pickles under the influence of key factors such as salt concentration, vinegar percentage and storage temperature has always been a major scientific challenge. The effect of each variable parameter, directly or through interaction, on the viability of LA5 and quality characteristics such as product color changes as well as sensory acceptance of fermented pickled peppers played a significant role (P<0.05). High salt concentrations (more than 2.5%) and low pH due to vinegar acidity significantly reduced the viability of the probiotic strain LA5. In contrast, storage at low temperatures (4-10°C) increased cell viability and allowed LA5 to survive for a longer period. Finally, the results of this study based on the quadratic regression model showed that the variable parameters of temperature and vinegar content had the greatest effect on the viability and quality of jalapeno pepper, while salt played a role as a secondary factor with a moderating effect in the fermentation process. Therefore, controlling and evaluating the interaction effects of these variables during the processing of probiotic jalapeno pepper seems necessary in order to produce a high-quality product.
Keywords
- Process optimization
- Viability of commercial probiotic cultures
- Fermented jalapeno pepper
- Regression model
Main Subjects
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