Lactic acid fermentation of apricot juice by mono- and mixed cultures of probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains

Apricot is a popular fruit in the world with rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and elements as well as has high antioxidant capacity. In this study, fermentation of this juice by mono- and mixed cultures was investigated. All tested strains exhibited good growth properties on apricot juice without any nutrient supplementation. In monoculture fermentation, 7.2, 7.25, 7.06 and 7.16 log (cfu/mL h) cell yields were observed for Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12, Bifidobacterium longum Bb-46, Lactobacillus casei 01 and Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 strains, respectively, and higher cell yields were obtained in the mixed culture fermentation. The antioxidant capacity increased slightly during fermentation. The concentration of acetic acid (27–48 mM) were about doubled in cases of the mixed culture fermentations than of monoculture fermentations (18–30 mM), while the levels of lactic acid were similar (70–90 mM). The relatively high values of these properties offer the potential for development of novel probiotic apricot juice.