Study developed by Embrapa and partners enabled the use of Caatinga-native bacteria in foods. Lactic ferment with probiotic potential is the first product resulting from this technology and is available for partners interested in large-scale production. The innovation combines functional properties with added value and low costs as it is an asset from a Brazilian biome. The lactobacilli were isolated from goat milk and cheese and tested for other products, e.g. beverages, yogurts and cheeses. Functional characteristics meet current consumer demands for healthier and more nutritional products. Researchers from Embrapa Food Technology, Embrapa Goats and Sheep and partner institutions developed a lactic ferment with potentially probiotic properties from native bacteria collected from goat milk in the Caatinga biome region. The product, which is available for scale-up and industrial production by partners (more details below), offers several characteristics of interest for the domestic market, such as functional properties, added value for the local biodiversity, and the possibility of more affordable end prices for consumers as it is a Brazilian asset. The lactic bacteria were isolated from goat cheese and milk. Then, out of hundreds of isolates, the scientists selected the three best lactobacilli considering technological aptitude and probiotic potential as assessed in vitro. The selected bacteria (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus e Limosilactobacillus mucosae) were included in Embrapa's Collection of Microorganisms of Interest for Agroenergy and Food Industry (CMIIAA) and Collection of Microorganisms of Interest for Tropical Agroindustry (CMIAT). According to the researcher Karina Olbrich, project leader and current head of Research and Development at Embrapa Food Technology, “lactic ferments obtained from such bacteria offer the chance of developing national products, such as cheeses, yogurts and probiotic beverages at a more affordable cost. For consumers, it represents an opportunity to increase their consumption of foods that benefit their health”. The advantages of developing products with local microorganisms include added value – for those that have regional identity – and the fact such bacteria allow for dairy production that is adapted to the temperature and humidity conditions of the Brazilian semi-arid region, for instance. Nowadays, 91% of the Brazilian goat herd is in the country's Northeast, where the country's largest dairy production belt is found, on the border between the states of Paraíba and Pernambuco, with annual production estimated at 7.5 million liters. According to the researcher Antônio Egito, from Embrapa Goats and Sheep, the studies with the microorganisms also bring forth the prospect of diversifying the offer of dairy products. “The findings are promising both for the production of national cheeses like Coalho (curdled cheese), and for applications in fermented products or new types of potentially probiotic cheeses”, he observes. A Brazilian lactic ferment After the selection of potentially probiotic bacteria, a strain of L. rhamnosus was studied. Those cultivated in suitable temperature and medium were dehydrated through atomization (technique to dry foodstuffs) to stabilize and maximize the concentration of viable cells. After countless tests, the result was the obtainment of a potentially probiotic powder ferment with several possible applications in the food industry. “The ferment obtained in optimal conditions was deemed stable through a period of six months, stored either frozen at -18°C or refrigerated at 6°C”, assert Embrapa Food Technology researchers Regina Nogueira and Leda Gotschalk, who conducted such research stage. Probiotics are defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and by the World Health Organization (WHO) as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host due to their antioxidant, anticancer and immunity modulation properties. Photo: Karina Olbrisch Other products targeted by science: dairy drinks and plants To validate applications in foods, the selected lactobacilli were tested in different fermented and non-fermented products. In partnership with the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology, a potentially probiotic concentrated fermented milk was developed with the bacteria L. plantarum and the addition of jaboticaba skin flour. “Tests indicate that concentrated fermented milk with jaboticaba skin flour offer high contents of total phenolics, anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity”, asserts Welison Oliveira Santos, master in Food Science and Technology by UFRRJ, who developed the study at Embrapa Food Technology under the supervision of researchers Ana Carolina Chaves, Karina Olbrich and Caroline Mellinger. The study also assessed whether adding jaboticaba skin flour would change the viability of the probiotic bacteria and the survival of such bacteria when subjected to the conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract simulated in vitro, essential parameters to ensure the probiotic effect in the human body. "The lactic bacteria remained viable and were not influenced when jaboticaba skin flour (pictured on the left) was added. Moreover, the bacteria's survival rate was above 65% at the end of the simulated digestion. The product had a service life of 28 days under refrigeration," Santos observes. The native strain used in the research was selected based on safety, potential as a probiotic, and technological characteristics assessed in vitro. The flour made from the skins of jaboticaba, a fruit that is native to the Atlantic Rainforest, stands out due to its nutritional value, with a high concentration of anthocyanins, and technological suitability for use as a natural colorant. "The study findings showed the possibility of developing a concentrated fermented milk containing a native strain, with added jaboticaba skin flour, generating an innovative product for the domestic market," Ana Carolina Chaves states. The use of the native strain of L. plantarum twas also tested in the elaboration of an unfermented plant beverage. This time, the pure strain (fresh, on a liquid medium) was added to a plant drink composed of juçara berries, strawberries and banana. The research conducted at the Pilot Food Processing Plant, led by researcher Flávia Gomes, also assessed five other commercial ferments by multinational companies in the same beverage formula. The comparative analysis revealed that the native strain obtained the best result: "The study indicated that L. plantarum was the most viable one, with longer survival time than imported probiotics, and did not affect the taste of the final product," the researcher observes. The drink with probiotic potential falls into the category of non-dairy foods, free of ingredients from animal sources, and can be offered to vegan, allergic or milk-intolerant consumers or those who follow special diets. Functional foods from goat milk There is another front of efforts to test native strains in the production of functional foods through the development of goat milk products in the Brazilian semi-arid region. In lab tests with animals at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), the strain of L. rhamnosus showed potential to control intestinal inflammatory processes. Embrapa and partners are invested in the development of goat cheeses using the microorganism. "Finding microorganisms in the Brazilian semi-arid region that simultaneously present technological suitability and benefits to human health could allow the production and use of national ferments for the manufacture of new types of potentially probiotic Brazilian cheeses," Antônio Egito concludes. One of the examples is the application of the native L. plantarum strain in the production of a petit suisse goat cheese with acerola (West Indian cherry or Barbados cherry) pulp (pictured on the right), developed in partnership with the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Ceará (IFCE). In in vitro tests held at Embrapa, the strain withstood the conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract well, and showed a high survival rate at the end of the digestion simulation. "The concentration of viable lactobacilli with probiotic potential, the vitamin C content, and the phenolic compounds give the acerola-added petit-suisse goat cheese multifunctional properties," explains Samuel de Barcelos, then who participated in the study as part of his master's degree in Food Technology. The acerola pulp gave the product a high concentration of bioactive compounds and higher sensory acceptance in assessments with consumers. Once packed into plastic containers, the cheese can be stored under refrigeration for up to 28 days. To develop research on functional dairy products in Northeastern Brazil, Embrapa partnered with the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), Paraíba State University (UEPB), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Paraíba State Research Support Foundation (Fapesq) and the National Social and Economic Development Bank (BNDES). Photo: Karina Olbrisch Would you like to partner with Embrapa? Companies interested in partnering with Embrapa to produce the lactic ferment on a large scale and insert it in the domestic market can contact the Technology Transfer sector at Embrapa Food Technology: ctaa.servicos@embrapa.br or at Embrapa Goats and Sheep: cnpc.spat@embrapa.br.