FERMENTATION BY Lactobacillus paracasei OF GALACTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES AND LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT CARBOHYDRATES EXTRACTED FROM SQUASH (Curcubita maxima) AND LUPIN (Lupinus albus) SEEDS

Abstract

The in vitro prebiotic activity of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and low-molecular-weight carbohydrates (LMWC) extracted from lupin and squash seeds on the growth of Lactobacillus paracasei BGP1 was studied. To this end, the change in cell density after 24 h of L. paracasei growth on 1% (w/v) glucose, 1% (w/v) raffinose, 1% (w/v) commercial inulin GR, 1% (w/v) lupin extract, and 1% (w/v) squash extract relative to the change in cell density of a mixture of enteric strains under the same culture conditions were evaluated. Additionally, the principal components of GOS and LMWC in the extracts were identified using Thin Layer Chromatography. The highest prebiotic activity score was for L. paracasei grown on squash extract (0.55±0.03), followed by lupin extract (0.49±0.02), inulin (0.38±0.05) and raffinose (0.37±0.05). These results will contribute to selecting plant species as potential sources of prebiotic ingredients for the development of functional foods.