LAUSR

BACKGROUND The selection of the food matrix to be used as a vehicle for a probiotic culture is important, because its chemical composition and physicochemical characteristics can affect the probiotic survival during the shelf-life of the product and on simulated gastrointestinal conditions (SGIC). This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the dairy matrix (chocolate fermented milk beverage, chocolate flan or passion fruit flan) on the survival of L. casei Lc-1 during refrigerated storage (4 o C/21 days) and SGIC. RESULTS Chocolate fermented milk beverage, and chocolate and passion fruit flans could be considered matrices for the incorporation of Lactobacillus casei, providing suitable counts (6.38-7.84 log cfu g-1 ) during storage. The type of matrix had impact on the inicial probiotic counts in the products and on the probiotic resistance to the SGIC. The chocolate fermented milk beverage presented higher initial probiotic counts (7.72 vs 6.65-7.28 log cfu g-1 ). The higher pH (5.3-6.8), solid matrix and increased fat content (65.0-72.9 g 100 g-1 ) contributed to the higher resistance to the SGIC of the chocolate and passion fruit flans, allowing the recovery of the viability during the enteric phase (increases of 1-1.5 log cycles). CONCLUSION The type of dairy matrix has impact on the inicial probiotic counts in the products and on the probiotic resistance to the SGIC. Chocolate and passion fruit flans proved to be more suitable options than chocolate fermented milk beverage for the incorporation of Lactobacillus casei Lc-1. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.