Production of Synbiotic Ice Cream

The aim of this study was to evaluate the survivability of three probiotic strains Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobaterium bifidum in ice cream using microencapsulation by calcium alginate and whey protein concentrate. Also, the effect of different prebiotics (inulin, lactulose and Fructooligosaccharides) was studied. Six types of synbiotic ice cream containing free and microencapsulated L. plantarum, L. casei and B. bifidum, were manufactured using 2% Fructo-oligosaccharides. The survival of all tested strains increased with different sugars even in the presence of FOS. Also, the viability of microencapsulated strains increased more than 1 log cycle compared with free cells. The survival of L. plantarum, L. casei and B. bifidum were monitored during the storage period of 90 days. The viable cell count of L. plantarum, L. casei and B. bifidum in the Free State in ice cream was 8.344, 8.413 and 8.230 log cfu/ g at day one and the numbers were decreased to 7.841, 6.110 and 6.436 log cfu/ g after 90 days of storage respectively. Survival of the three encapsulated probiotic strains showed that the bacterial counts increased about two log cycle during the same period of storage. The viability of probiotic cells in paramount importance because to have their beneficial effect on the health, they must stay alive until they reach their site of action and be resistant to gastrointestinal environment. Further the addition of microencapsulated probiotic strains in ice cream had no significant effect on the physiological properties of ice cream and in the sensory properties.