Authors
Title
Abstract
Probiotics and prebiotics play an important role in human and animal nutrition. Those research studies were performed to evaluate the potential of using legume sprouts as carriers for probiotic strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. They determined the effect of legume species, temperature of sprouting, and inoculation methods of seeds or growing sprouts on the survival and/or growth of probiotics. It was found that the count of bacteria in sprouts depended on the germination temperature, inoculation methods as well as on the species of legume used as a carrier. The beans examined (Adzuki and Mung) germinated effectively at a temperature between 25 ÷ 35 ºC. And the lentil sprouted most effectively at 25 ºC. In the case of soy-bean and lentil, the temperature of 35 ºC caused the germination efficiency to decrease. The growth of Lb. rhamnosus GG was reported only in the case of the lentil and soy-bean sprouts obtained from the seeds imbibed in an inoculum and germinated at 25 ºC. The count of probiotic bacteria was 3.1×106 and 7.18×106 CFU per grams of fresh mass, respectively. The sprouts obtained from the bean seeds analyzed did not provide any conditions for probiotic bacteria to survive and grow. The best carrier for the probiotic bacteria studied were the soy-bean sprouts; in their case, after inoculation of seeds and using a suspension of probiotic bacteria, the sprouts obtained at 25 ºC had the best quality parameters.
Keywords
legumes, sprouts, probiotics, Lb. rhamnosus