Enhancing synbiotic dairy beverages with chemically cross-linked inulin for improved texture and stability

In this study synbiotic dairy beverages containing chemically cross-linked inulin (using sodium hexametaphosphate-SHMP) and three probiotic bacteria strains (Lactobacillus (Lb.) acidophilus, Lacticaseibacillus (Lcb.) rhamnosus, and Lcb. paraparacasei) were examined during 30 days of storage. The samples were compared with control samples produced using natural inulin and the effects of cross-linked inulin on the composition, acidity, microbiological, physical (colour, water holding capacity, rheology), electrophoretic profile (SDS-PAGE), total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and sensory (appearance, structure, flavour) properties of the synbiotic dairy beverages were determined. This study demonstrated that cross-linked inulin enhanced viscosity and water-holding capacity resulting in a more stable and thicker product without significantly altering the compositional properties or probiotic viability. Cross-linking inulin did not impact the viability of probiotic bacteria, which remained above 106 CFU/mL. While the amount of total phenolic compounds was not affected by the different probiotics and inulin, the probiotics and cross-linked inulin did influence the antioxidant capacity of the samples. Sensory evaluation indicated that all samples were well-received and acceptable. These findings demonstrated that incorporating cross-linked inulin in synbiotic dairy beverage production enhanced the rheological properties without significantly affecting other analyzed characteristics of samples. There is no previous study on dairy beverages produced with cross-linked inulin. Therefore, this is the first study to systematically evaluate the effect of chemically cross-linked inulin on the textural and sensory properties of synbiotic beverages.