Innovative production of multi‐strain synbiotic product using Thai pigmented rice and rice bran oil

This study found that the isolated probiotics Lactobacillus paracasei KUKPS6201, L. acidophilus KUKPS6107, L. reuteri KUKPS6103, L. rhamnosus KUKPS6007, L. salivarius KUKPS6202, Bacillus coagulans KPSTF02 and Saccharomyces boulardii KUKPS6005 had high potential for probiotic properties. All strains had antibacterial activity and high antioxidant activity of 1.654 ± 0.017 mg Trolox mL⁻¹ probiotic extract. The selected strains could survive in a simulated gastrointestinal tract under anaerobic conditions and showed no haemolytic activity. Furthermore, the probiotic strains were strongly auto‐aggregated and also showed co‐aggregated ability with pathogenic bacteria. The probiotic microorganisms demonstrated high ability to adhere to Thai‐pigmented rice grains. The results of analysis of these probiotics showed that Riceberry rice bran oil was an excellent prebiotic. A synbiotic product containing Thai‐pigmented rice grains (cultivar Riceberry, Luem Pua and Black Jasmine) and rice bran oil was produced. After 8 weeks of storage, the viability of the probiotics in terms of multistrains was 7.36 ± 0.04 log CFU g–¹ (85.78% survival rate). Microbiological safety testing indicated that the amounts of contaminants were acceptable. This study provided the first scientific report on the feasibility of applying Thai‐pigment rice, rice bran oil and mixed‐culture probiotics as a novel functional synbiotic product.