Effect of probiotic bacteria type and honey addition on qualitative and sensory characteristics and probiotic viability in rice-based fermented functional beverage

In the current study the effect of probiotic bacteria type (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus and equal ratio of their combination), and honey addition (5% w/w) on qualitative and nutritional characteristics (proximate analysis) including total solids, ash, water soluble solids (Brix), lipid, protein, total carbohydrate contents, total phenols and sensory properties of rice–based functional beverage were evaluated. Furthermore, viability of the probiotic bacteria during 15 days of storage at a refrigerated temperature were investigated using first order, Gompertz, Logistic, Richards, Stanard, Schnout modified and proposed models. The results showed that using equal ratio of bacterial combination and honey leads to the production of probiotic functional beverage with suitable qualitative, nutritional, and sensory characteristics. Among the used models, viability of bacteria follows the modified Schnute and proposed models. Estimation of viability by these models showed that, until the 25th day (10 days after the end of the storage period), viability of bacteria was in the acceptable range for the probiotic products (Log 6 cfu/ml).