Lentils enhance probiotic growth in yogurt and provide added benefit of antioxidant protection

2013

Abstract We evaluated the antioxidant potential of lentil polysaccharides in stimulating the growth of probiotic bacteria in yogurt. Microbial counts, pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) were measured in yogurt samples containing starter cultures with or without probiotic bacteria, supplemented with whole ground green lentils. Additionally, the antioxidant potential of polysaccharides extracted from green, red, and dehulled red lentils were measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. Results demonstrate that green lentils selectively enhanced the number of probiotic bacteria in yogurt in the initial stages of storage and maintained overall microbial counts (starter cultur…