Sucos funcionais de sapota-do-Solimões (Quararibea cordata Vischer): desenvolvimento, caracterização e efeito na microbiota intestinal

Abstract

The sapota-do-Solimões from the Amazonian produces a juice rich in nutrients, fiber, ascorbic acid and other micronutrients. The sugar content and pH are favorable for the growth of probiotic bacteria, allowing its use as a matrix for the production of functional juices that can favor the intestinal microbiome, reducing the risk of dysbiosis. Thus, the fermentation of this juice by the strain Lacticaseibacillus casei B-442 becomes feasible for the production of a probiotic juice. Moreover, the addition of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) a synbiotic can be produced, which can increase probiotic viability under gastrointestinal conditions. Therefore, this study developed a probiotic juice (SSP) and a synbiotic juice (SSS) of sapota-do-Solimões and evaluated the viability through in vitro digestion and during storage for 30 days at 4 ºC. SSS and SSP showed noteworthy survival through in vitro digestion with counts of approximately 8 and 4 log CFU/mL, respectively, after 6h of in vitro digestion. In vitro digestion with fermented MRS broth and sapota-do-Solimões juice with L. casei B-442 non-fermented presented lower counts, demonstrating the ability of the functional juices to protect probiotics cells. During storage, the SSS survival rate dropped to 82% while the SSP dropped to 95%. However, these values did not affect in vitro digestion after 30 days of cold storage, maintaining values approximately 8 and 4 log CFU/mL for SSS and SSP, respectively. Phenolic compounds increased after fermentation for SSS (140%) and after storage for SSP (120%). FOS favored greater SSS viability during gastrointestinal conditions. However, it was not consumed by L. casei B-442 during fermentation or storage period, preferring glucose and sucrose in the SSP and glucose, fructose and sucrose in the SSS. The production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) was higher for SSS, highlighting acetic, lactic and propionic. From these results, the SSS was subjected to colonic fermentation in vitro before and after storage. The SSS modulated the different fecal microbiota, prevailing the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. FOS increased the abundance of the genus Bifidobacterium, in SSS0 and SSS30, prevalent in healthy microbiota. The increase in the alpha-diversity index Chao1 was seen for the juice before and after storage, but not for diversity with the decrease from Shannon for SSS30 after colonic fermentation. FOS were fully consumed by the two fecal microbiotas, but at SSS30 48 h fructose was not fully consumed, due to a lower abundance of fructose-metabolizing microorganisms such as Streptococcus. SCFA increased for both microbiotas, but citric acid reduced its value 8-fold during colonic fermentation in SSS30. The bioaccessibility of ascorbic acid demonstrated its instability under enteric conditions, however may favored the abundance of Actinobacteria. Therefore, sapota-do-Solimões juice is a viable matrix for the production of functional juices containing probiotics and prebiotics capable of causing beneficial changes in the human intestinal microbiota with possible health benefits.