EVALUATION OF Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 23271 SURVIVAL IN OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED SAPODILLA (Achras zapota L.) SLICES

Resumo

Sapodilla (Achras zapota L.) is a very perishable fruit rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The process of osmotic dehydration (OD) was applied to reduce the initial moisture of sapodilla and increase its shelf life. Dehydrated fruits have been pointed as interesting matrices to incorporate probiotics. The present study aims to evaluate the survival of Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 23271, a strain with probiotic potential, in osmotically dehydrated sapodilla (Achras zapota L.) during storage and under gastrointestinal stress. The incorporation of L. fermentum ATCC 23271 was carried out during the process of osmotic dehydration (OD) of sapodilla slices under predetermined temperature, time, and sucrose solution concentration (40 °C, 165 min, 50 °Brix). After the DO, the survival of the microorganism during storage (0, 7, 14 and 28 days) at 4 °C was analyzed and a simulation of rapid digestion in the gastrointestinal tract (2 h) of the stored samples was carried out. L. fermentum ATCC 23271 resisted the DO process with a population of 10⁹ CFU/g even after 14 days of storage. In the following weeks, the population reached 10⁸ CFU/g (p<0.01). Furthermore, L. fermentum ATCC 23271 survived the simulated passage through the gastrointestinal tract, with values greater than 10⁸ CFU/g for samples stored for up to 21 days. Taken together, the results demonstrate that L. fermentum ATCC 23271 is a strain capable of resisting the DO process, making osmotically dehydrated sapodilla slices a potential probiotic product.