Investigating the survival of spore formi̇ng probiotics in the prodiction of some foods

Probiotics are widely used in the food industry for their health benefits. Probiotics with sporulation properties are prominent due to their high survival rates during food processing steps, during storage and while passing through the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, Alkalihalobacillus clausii, Heyndrickxia coagulans probiotics were added to chicken nuggets and heat-treated chicken sausage products and cooked twice (pre-cooking in the factory and second cooking before serving). The survival of spore forming probiotic microorganisms in these foods and the preservation of their viability while passing through the gastrointestinal tract and their effect on quality parameters (including color, texture and sensory properties) were investigated. It was determined that the number of probiotics contained in the food samples after 1st and 2nd cooking was above 6 log cfu/g and storage processes did not statistically significantly affect the number of probiotics (p>0.05). After 2nd cooking, the samples were subjected to in vitro digestion and it was determined that probiotic viability did not show a statistically significant change after gastric and intestinal digestion (p>0.05). After the color, texture and sensory analyses, there were no statistically significant difference between the control group and the probiotic added samples (p>0.05). It was concluded that chicken nugget and heat-treated chicken sausage food matrices were suitable carriers for A. clausii and H. coagulans probiotics that caused no negative changes in color, texture and sensory properties. The food matrices used and storage under appropriate conditions play an important role in preventing the transformation of spore-form microorganisms into vegetative form. It is thought that the microorganisms in the form of spores do not engage in metabolic activity and therefore, the specified properties remain constant. At the end of the study, probiotic properties were added to two popularly consumed food products subjected to double heat treatment. It is recommended that different spore forming probiotics should be tested in different food environments to create innovation in foods.