Probiotic sugar confectionery fortified with flax seeds (Linum usitatissimum L.).

People have affection for confectionary products. Confectionery products are of two types, baker and sugar confectionary. Dark chocolates belong to sugar confectionery class. The present invention was carried out on the preparation of synbiotic dark chocolates. Synbiotics are food products that contain both prebiotics and probiotic microorganisms, wherein prebiotics encourage the growth of probiotics. The synbiotic dark chocolates were amended with flax seeds (Linum usitatissimum L.) as a prebiotic for LAB. Flax seed contains fiber and phenolic antioxidants which makes them prebiotic source. The isolated LAB culture, which was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides based on morphological, biochemical tests and MALDI-TOF, showed the properties of a probiotic culture viz., tolerance to sodium chloride, bile salt, pH, and temperature, sensitivity to antibiotics, nonhemolytic and production of hydrogen peroxide. Cytotoxic activity of the cell free supernatant was assessed against MDA MB 231 and neuroblastoma cell line. Probiotic strain showed 48% and 30% cytotoxicity against MDA MB 231 and neuroblastoma cell line. The synbiotic chocolate was found to have more antioxidant activity, i.e. 90 U/mL by DPPH assay and 200 (μg Trolox/mL) by FRAP assay. The synbiotic chocolate prepared will be beneficial for the gut health of the humans and will also have excellent nutritional value. © Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2020.