Desenvolvimento e estabilidade de bebidas probióticas vegetais como estratégia de valorização da biodiversidade brasileira

Abstract

The growing demand for healthy foods has stimulated the development of probiotic plant-based beverages made from regional raw materials. In this context, the present study aimed to optimize the formulations and evaluate the stability of low-calorie probiotic beverages made from babassu coconut and mixed babassu coconut and cashew, promoting the valorization of Brazilian biodiversity. Beverages containing only babassu coconut and beverages supplemented with 13.9% cashew pulp were produced, with the initial pH adjusted to 5.6. Fermentation was carried out for 8 hours at 30 °C using Lacticaseibacillus casei. As a preliminary step, an online survey was conducted with participants to assess consumer attitudes, using word association, a hedonic scale, and purchase intention. Subsequently, a focus group was conducted with regular consumers of fermented beverages to identify preferences and assist in defining vanilla concentration and sweetness levels. After this stage, the following treatments were defined: T1 – babassu coconut probiotic beverage with vanilla; T2 – babassu coconut probiotic beverage with vanilla and xanthan gum; T3 – mixed babassu coconut and cashew beverage; T4 – mixed babassu coconut and cashew beverage with xanthan gum; all formulations were supplemented with 6% xylitol. Sensory acceptance was evaluated by untrained panelists using a hedonic scale, Just-About-Right (JAR) scale, Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), and purchase intention. On day 0 and day 42, the following parameters were analyzed: Lacticaseibacillus casei viability, pH, color, fatty acid profile, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), mineral composition, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity, apparent viscosity, and sedimentation index.To assess sensory characteristics after 42 days of storage, the Flash Profile method was applied. For the sensory attributes evaluated using the hedonic scale, the mean scores for babassu coconut and vanilla probiotic beverages ranged from 6.75 to 7.52. The mixed beverages containing babassu coconut and cashew showed mean scores ranging from 6.12 to 6.95, indicating positive sensory acceptance. After refrigerated storage at 4 °C for 42 days, microbial viability ranged from 7.91 Log CFU/mL (T1) to 8.44 Log CFU/mL (T4). The addition of cashew resulted in a higher content of bioactive compounds and greater antioxidant activity, while xanthan gum increased viscosity and improved sedimentation stability. It can be concluded that mixed babassu coconut and cashew beverages demonstrate the potential of combining raw materials from Brazilian biodiversity to create innovative products.