Effects of Food Polysaccharides and Seaweed Calcium on the Physicochemical Properties of Prickly Pear Extract Fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus LS

Prickly pear extract (PPE) was fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus LS at 30℃ for 2 days. To improve the physicochemical properties of fermented PPE, it was fortified with food polysaccharides (0.2%) or seaweed calcium before lactic acid fermentation. The viable cell counts, flow behavior, titratable acidity and color stability of fermented PPE were evaluated during 4 weeks of cold storage. Addition of xanthan gum or glucomannan increased the apparent viscosity and acid production, viable cell counts and red color of PPE were also well maintained during the cold storage. However, fermenting PPE with gellan gum resulted in a decrease in relative absorbance, indicating lower color stability. In particular, PPE fortified with carrageenan or alginic acid showed reduced acid production and lower viable cell counts. Addition of seaweed calcium at a 0.1% level had positive effects on color stability, and helped maintain viable cell counts of 4.1×10^9 CFU/mL. This study demonstrated that xanthan gum could be used as a good thickening agent and stabilizer for retaining viable cell counts and red color during the cold storage in PPE fermented by lactic acid bacteria.