Fermentation and Storage Characteristics of "Fuji" Apple Juice Using Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum: Microbial Growth, Metabolism of Bioactives and in vitro Bioactivities

Jie Yang; Yue Sun; Tengqi Gao; Yue Wu; Hao Sun; Qingzheng Zhu; Chunsheng Liu; Chuang Zhou; Yongbin Han; Yang Tao

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.833906

Fermentation and Storage Characteristics of "Fuji" Apple Juice Using Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum: Microbial Growth, Metabolism of Bioactives and in vitro Bioactivities

Front Nutr. 2022 Feb 9:9:833906. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.833906. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jie Yang^{1

2}, Yue Sun^{1

2}, Tengqi Gao^{1

2}, Yue Wu³, Hao Sun^{1

2}, Qingzheng Zhu^{1

2}, Chunsheng Liu^{1

2}, Chuang Zhou⁴, Yongbin Han⁵, Yang Tao⁵

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, China.
² Co-Innovation Center of Jiangsu Marine Bio-industry Technology, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, China.
³ Sonochemistry Group, School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Jurong, China.
⁵ College of Food Science and Technology, Whole Grain Food Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

Fruit juices have been widely used as the substrates for probiotic delivery in non-dairy products. In this study, three lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, including Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, were selected to ferment apple juice. During 72-h of fermentation, these LAB strains grew well in the apple juice with significant increases in viable cell counts (from 7.5 log CFU/mL to 8.3 log CFU/mL) and lactic acid content (from 0 to 4.2 g/L), and a reduction of pH value (from 5.5 to around 3.8). In addition, the antioxidant and antibacterial capacities of fermented apple juice in vitro were significantly improved through the phenolic and organic acid metabolisms. After storage at 4°C for 30 days, the total amino acid content of fermented apple juice was significantly increased, although the viable cell counts and total phenolic content were decreased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the stored fermented apple juices still possessed antibacterial and in vitro antioxidant activities. Overall, all the selected LAB strains could be suitable for apple juice fermentation and can effectively improve their biological activities.

Keywords: apple juice; bioactivities; fermentation; lactic acid bacteria; physicochemical properties.