Development of probiotic fortified mango fruit leather using Lactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract:

Delivering probiotics through a shelf-stable, non-dairy vehicle remains one of the trickiest challenges in functional food design. Mango fruit leather — a thin, flexible sheet of dried mango pulp — offers a promising carrier because of its low water activity, acidic pH, and widespread consumer appeal, yet the drying step itself threatens bacterial viability. This research developed probiotic-fortified mango fruit leather by incorporating Lactobacillus acidophilus CBIM 0218 at three inoculation levels (2%, 3.5%, and 5% v/w) into Tommy Atkins mango pulp, drying the sheets at 55 °C for 14 h, and monitoring probiotic survival, physicochemical quality, and sensory acceptability over 42 days of storage at 4 °C and 25 °C. At 5% inoculation, L. acidophilus counts at day 0 reached 8.74 log CFU g⁻¹ and remained above the probiotic minimum (6 log CFU g⁻¹) for 42 days at 4 °C and 28 days at 25 °C. Sensory panellists rated the 5% formulation highest for overall acceptability (8.2 on a 9-point scale). The product provides a viable non-dairy probiotic snack option with a refrigerated shelf life of at least six weeks.