Key Findings
This study investigated the potential of flaxseed soluble fiber mucilage to act as a prebiotic in a food system by increasing the bacterial growth in kefir. The results demonstrated that flaxseed mucilage acts as a good source of prebiotic, enhancing lactic acid bacteria growth in kefir model. Pure flaxseed mucilage showed better prebiotic functionality compared to a crude flaxseed mucilage without causing a drastic decline in pH. High antioxidant activity of flaxseed mucilage provided additional benefits to the kefir. Future studies including investigation of sensory and rheological characteristics of kefir samples containing flaxseed mucilage will provide information on the impacts on kefir sensorial and textural properties. Also, in vivo animal and clinical study are necessary to determine health-related properties of kefir supplemented with flaxseed mucilage.
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the capability and efficiency of flaxseed soluble dietary fibre /mucilage to enhance bacterial survival and growth in kefir as well as the antioxidant activity of the mucilage. Crude flaxseed mucilage was extracted using a microwave method, followed by enzymatic and dialysis treatments to obtain pure mucilage. The antioxidant activities of the pure and crude mucilage were measured using different assays. Microbial analyses, pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) were measured in kefir samples, supplemented with probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis) and pure or crude flaxseed mucilage during 28 cold storage periodat 4 degrees Celsius. The results showed that for all kefir samples, the total bacteria counts were above 7.9 log cfu/mL at the end of cold storage period. However, kefir samples supplemented with pure flaxseed mucilage enhanced significantly (P < 0.05) higher viability of bacteria (9.5 log cfu/mL) and acidity (0.78% TTA). An overall pH decline of 0.2 was observed during cold storage period.
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