Development of Finger Millet Based Probiotic Beverage Using Lactobacillus casei431®

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) based probiotic beverage was formulated which comprised of health benefits from both finger millet and probiotic. Cooked finger millet was inoculated with L.casei 431® and incubated at 37 oC for 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h. The beverage was formulated with the addition of sucrose, fresh cow milk, and cocoa powder, and stored under refrigerated ( 5±1 °C) conditions. Sensory evaluation was conducted to select the best fermented time and the highest acceptability was achieved by the sample fermented for 4 h. Changes in physico-chemical characteristics (pH, titratable acidity, brix, and reducing/non-reducing sugars) and viable cell counts during refrigeration were monitored. pH was decreased from 7.10 (SD 0.01) to 5.05 (SD 0.00) and titratable acidity was increased significantly (p<0.05) due to lactic acid production by probiotic. Reducing and non-reducing sugars were decreased significantly (p<0.05) because of usage by probiotics.This study concludes that finger millet based probiotic beverage can be developed with L.casei 431® and it could be serve by keeping under refrigerated (5±1 °C) storage up to 5 weeks. Keywords: