A research on the production of probiotic peanut butter

In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of carob powder and probiotic culture addition on some quality characteristics of peanut butter during the 3-month storage period. In the study, 3 different productions were carried out: plain, probiotic peanut butter with and without carob powder. The prebiotic and emulsification effect of carob powder used in the production of peanut butter has been determined. Physicochemical (pH, ash, dry matter and fat loss), microbiological (viable cell count of L. rhamnosus) and sensory analyses were performed on peanut butters during 3 months of storage. The effect of storage time on product quality characteristics was found to be statistically insignificant (p>0.05), while the effect of production method was generally significant (p<0.05). In peanut butters, pH values ranged from 6.43 to 6.72, ash values ranged from 2.57 to 2.60%, dry matter content ranged from 97.31 to 99.07%, and fat loss ranged from 2.53 to 4.95%. While probiotic cell viability was not detected during the storage process in plain peanut butters, which are the control sample, the L. rhamnosus count was found to be 5.95-6.45 log cfu/g in peanut butter without the addition of carob powder and the L. rhamnosus count was found to be 6.15-6.82 log cfu/g in peanut butter with carob powder added. It has been determined that carob powder supports probiotic cell vitality with a prebiotic effect in peanut butter and has a positive effect on the technofunctional properties of the product. In terms of sensory properties, the probiotic peanut butter samples received similar appreciation to the control sample, plain peanut butter. Ultimately, with this study, it has been revealed that probiotic peanut butter with the addition of carob powder as a new functional food is an acceptable product with its quality characteristics.