Dried date paste as carrier of the proposed probiotic ce:italic>Bacillus coagulans/ce:italic> BC4 and viability assessment during storage and simulated gastric passage

摘要

This work aimed to determine the suitability of dried date paste, an intermediateaw(0.5–0.6) matrix, as a carrier of the spore-formerBacillus coagulansBC4 in terms of survival during storage andin vitrogastric simulation. Freeze-driedB. coagulansBC4, mostly in the spore form, was added to 5 different dried date paste preparations obtaining an initial concentration between 7.87 and 8.12 log CFU g?1. Although the characteristicawof the tested matrix has previously been described as non-optimal for maintaining the viability of non-spore-forming dehydrated probiotics, no significant variation (P?>?0.05) regarding viability and spores percentage was detected between the pastes after 45 days of storage under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, afterin vitrogastric passage,B. coagulansshowed no significant viability loss (P?>?0.05) neither when embedded in date paste nor as free spores.Our results showed thatB. coagulansBC4 spores embedded in dried date paste are highly stable during storage at room temperature andin vitrogastric passage.