LAUSR

Food industry has grown in recent years mainly due to the supply of functional foods with probiotics and prebiotics. The viability of Lactobacillus casei and the properties of blackberry suspensions added with inulin were evaluated using a central design composed of the following factors: mass fraction of total solid blackberry concentrate (XTSBC) (0.103-0.120), [McFarland] (6-10), inulin (2.78-3.68%), and mass blackberry concentrate (BC)/mass inoculum (R) (5-20); and the dependent variables: moisture (M), pH, acidity, °Brix, total solids suspension (TSS), viscosity (μ), zeta potential (z), and Log CFU/g. Results of the experimental optimization of multiple responses were: XTSBC (0.103), [McFarland] (10), inulin (3.12%w/w), and R (18.5); being the dependent variables: M=86.7±0.0%, pH=2.74±0.01, acidity=3.1±0.0%, °Brix=11.0±0.1%, TSS=13.3±0.0%, µ=1288.0±20.1 cP, z=-13.3±0.3 mV and Log CFU/g=7.8±0.5. The probiotic microorganism Lb. casei ATCC 393 presents an adaptability in suspensions based on BC and inulin, which guarantee its viability and a possible use for obtaining an innovative spray-dried product.