Effect of drying on the survival and performance of probiotics in dried fruits

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of drying on the survival and performance of probiotics in dried fruits. In this study, banana, apple, cucumber and apricot fruits and four probiotic strains including Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus lactis were studied. The antimicrobial properties of Lactobacillus products before and after drying were investigated on four bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis using batch fermentation system. Data analysis was analysis using Minitab software and the effect of different variables such as type of bacteria, temperature, drying time and type of fruit on the survival and probiotics function was evaluated using Taguchi experimental design.Lactobacillus spp. showed antimicrobial properties against pathogenic bacteria before and after drying. Also, data analysis showed that drying did not threaten the survival of probiotics, the highest growth rate for Lactobacillus rhamnosus was observed after 68 hours, indicating that, after drying, probiotics were retained for up to hours and were able to grow up. Finally, the analysis of the data showed that the bacterial species and different temperatures had a significant relationship with the survival of lactobacillus after drying. Therefore, probiotic dried fruits are proposed as a new idea in the food industry.