Development of freeze dried synbiotic formulation using a probiotic strain of Lactobacillus plantarum.

Synbiotics offer potential in the prophylactic management of gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, present study evaluates the effect of prebiotics (inulin and gum acacia) on Lactocaillus plantarum for developing a freeze-dried synbiotic product from the selected culture. L. plantarum exhibited the highest specific growth rate (0.23/h) in presence of inulin followed by gum acacia (0.22/h) and glucose (0.22/h). Preparation of the lyophilized synbiotic powder incorporating inulin or gum acacia and using non fat dry milk as base material was standardized. Throughout refrigerated storage for 90 days, viable counts (i. e. 8 to 9 log cfu/g) of the probiotic bacteria in the product remained high, while a considerable reduction in the counts was observed in the product stored at room temperature (25 ± 1 °C).