Evaluation of cacao-pudding as a probiotic food carrier and sensory acceptability properties

A number of health benefits have been claimed for probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus casei. These benefits include anti-mutagenic effects, anti-carcinogenic properties, improvement in lactose metabolism, reduction in serum cholesterol and immune system stimulation. Because of the potential health benefits, these microorganisms are increasingly being incorporated into dairy foods.    Several studies in recent years have shown the benefits deriving from the ingestion of probiotics and a large number of products containing lactobacilli and bifidobacteria formulated. The purpose of this study was to develop a pudding with cacao to which probiotic microorganisms were added and investigate the viability of probiotic microorganisms during the shelf-life along 25 days at 4 °C. Organoleptic properties of the puddings were also evaluated during the storage. Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis LAFTI B94, Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 and Lactobacillus casei LAFTI L26 cultures were activated and incorporated into the product.  Pudding with cacao was shown to be a good vehicle for the delivery of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus during 15 and 25 days respectively and these microorganisms did not interfere in the sensorial preferences of the product except Lactobacillus casei. The pH values and organoleptic scores of the pudding samples, except Lactobacillus casei LAFTI L26 containing ones, did not change for 20 days during the storage period, statistically (P<0.01). The pudding containing Lactobacillus casei LAFTI L26 was taken the lowest sensorial scores.  The all samples were lost their organoleptic properties at the 25 days of storage period.