Studies on thermal processed probiotic enriched bermuda grass juice

Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”. The rationale for probiotics is that the body contains miniature ecology of microbes, collectively known as the gut flora. At present it is generally recognized that an optimum ‘balance’ of microbial population in our digestive tract is associated with good nutrition and health. Bermuda grass is abundantly found in our country. Its botanical name is Cynodon dactylon. Bermuda grass juice has wonderful medicinal properties. This herbal juice is rich in vitamin A, fibre, minerals and other nutrients. A study was conducted to incorporate probiotic bacterium into Bermuda grass juice thereby increasing its health benefits and also to increase the shelf life of the juice .The Bermuda grass juice is prepared and additives are added to increase the acceptability and value of the product. The probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus Acidophilus is incorporated into the juice. Various quality attributes like TSS, pH, acidity and sensory evaluation are done. The juice with optimized parameters is packed and thermally processed based on the Ball’s process time calculation. The storage studies are then conducted on the products at ambient conditions and quality attributes are also verified during the storage.