Development of oat-banana fermented beverage with beta-glucan additive

The aim of the study was to create a pro-healthy, tasteful, fermented, milkless beverage for people showing an allergy to milk proteins and/or lactose intolerance. An oat-banana matrix for fermentation, in versions fortified with beta-glucan preparations, PromOat, Betaven, OatFibre, was soured with starter variants, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum. The fermentation processes were characterized within kinetic parameters. Streptococcus thermophilus selected for fermentation of the oat-banana matrix fortified with a PromOat beta-glucan preparation, assured a highly acceptable sensory profile for the fermented beverage. Beverage was characterized according to pH, viscosity, titratable acidity, lactic acid enantiomers, beta-glucan content, sensory features and the LAB number. The beverage’s sensory profile subsisted alongside the LAB number above 7 lg cfu g-1 during 4 weeks of cold storage; beta-glucan content was stable thus ensuring health benefits for consumers. All lactic acid formed and maintained in the product was L-lactate, assuring the beverage’s appropriateness for children. Practical applications. The developed functional fruit-cereal fermented beverage, fortified with beta-glucan additive, containing high number of LAB and prevalence of L-isomer of lactic acid can be an attractive alternative for people with allergy or intolerance for milk, including children. The developed technology enables to obtain product of high sensory and nutrition quality, stable up to 4 weeks of cold storage.