Research Article Open Access Sukumar and Ghosh, J Prob Health 2013, 1:3 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2329-8901.1000111 Research Article Open Access Probiotics & Health Volume 1 • Issue 3 • 1000111 J Prob Health ISSN: 2329-8901 JPH, an open access journal Keywords: Pediococcus spp GS4, Probiotic; Curd; Viable counts; Organoleptic Introduction Consumers are increasingly interested in their personal health, and expect foods to be safe and healthy. Such functional foods or neutraceuticals are of great demand in present time. he growing scientiic evidence suggests that food supplements containing beneicial bacteria can provide an array of health beneits to the host. One such group of bacteria is commonly known as Probiotic bacteria. he realisation of importance of gut microlora in health restoration and maintenance kindled the interest in probiotics. Probiotics is deined as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health beneit on the host” [1]. Beneicial efects related to probiotics include antagonistic efects, competition, enhancement of digestion, strengthening of the immune system and stimulation of vitamin production [2]. At present, probiotic bacteria are widely used in human and animal nutrition because they beneicially inluence the balance of the intestinal lora of the host. Probiotic therapy has been used to treat several gastrointestinal disorders, delay development of allergies in children, and also treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women. he information on the recommend minimum concentrations of probiotic bacteria for efective function is still insuicient. However, adequate numbers of viable cells, namely the “therapeutic minimum” needs to be consumed regularly for the “probiotic” efect. Shah [3] has suggested a minimum viable number of 10 6 CFU ml -1 or gram, but recommends 10 8 CFU g -1 to compensate for reduction while passing through the gut. Controlled trials have shown that Lactobacillus GG can shorten the course of infectious diarrhea in children. Studies have also documented other health beneits relating to bioavailability of the nutrients, alleviation of lactose intolerance and maintenance of intestinal homeostasis [4]. Fermentation is an efective method of preservation, and contributes to the digestibility and the nutritive value of the inal product [5]. he origin of cultured dairy products dates back to the dawn of civilization, and it has been mentioned in Bible and the sacred books of Hinduism [6]. But the scientiic interest in this area was boosted ater the work of Metchinkof in 1908. Among the bacteria associated with food fermentation, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is of predominantly important. LAB has contributed to the increased volume of fermented foods worldwide, especially in foods containing probiotics or health promoting bacteria. he fundamental reason for the development and acceptance of fermented foods can be ascribed to several safety and functional beneits. According to Steinkrause [7], the traditional fermentation of food serves several functions, i) enrichment of diet through the development of diversity of lavours, aroma, texture in food substrates, ii) preservation of substantial amounts of foods through lactic acid, acetic acid, alcoholic and alkaline fermentations, iii) enrichment of food substrates biologically with protein, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids and vitamins, and iv) detoxiication during fermentation processing and decrease in cooking time, and thus, reduced fuel requirements. It has been reported that chance contamination, favourable environmental and climatic conditions and serendipity, together played a role in the development of many of the cultured dairy products [8]. he Indian economy is agriculture based since the Vedic civilization. Cow and land were the major sources of economy. Fermented milk and milk products are, thus, intimately associated with Indian society. Indians have been consuming dahi or curd for centuries as a part of their traditional diets. In India, curd is essentially a vegetarian preparation. Dairy milk is used for curd preparation. Milk is boiled and is brought to temperature around 40°C; then an inoculum, as starter culture is *Corresponding author: Asit Ranjan Ghosh, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Control, School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India, Tel: 0416-2202618; 09790238701; E-mail: cidcvit@gmail.com; asitranjanghosh@vit.ac.in Received May 22, 2013; Accepted July 19, 2013; Published July 24, 2013 Citation: Sukumar G, Ghosh AR (2013) Ready to Eat Curd-A Step towards Rural Transformation. J Prob Health 1: 111. doi: 10.4172/2329-8901.1000111 Copyright: © 2013 Sukumar G, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Pure culture of Pediococcus spp GS4 isolated from khadi was used as inoculum for curd preparation. 1% of the bacterial culture having viable cell count of 1.24×10 9 CFU/ml was inoculated, and curdling was observed after 18 hours of incubation at 37°C. The cell viability in the curdled sample was determined to be 2.46×10 9 CFU/ml. Physico-chemical analysis of the curd showed its moisture content to be 90.36%, free amino acids amounted to a concentration of 710 µg/µl, and protein and carbohydrate concentration in the curd was determined to be 460 µg/µl and 0.86 mg/ml, respectively. The free fatty acid content was estimated to be 6.77 g/100g as oleic acid equivalence. The conirmation of probiotic properties showed acid and bile tolerance with the percentage survivability of 88.01 and 113.33%, respectively. Antimicrobial activity of the 100 µl of the cell free extract gave maximum inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, with the Zone of inhibition (ZOI) of 13.9 ± 0.32 mm, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.2 ± 0.45 mm), and the least with Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes with the average ZOI of 11.9 ± 0.25 and 10.6 ± 0.85 mm, respectively. The concentration of lactic acid was determined to be 2.43 ± 0.01 g/20ml of supernatant. The viable counts upon lyophilisation showed a decrease in viability and the counts dropped to less than 10 8 CFU/ml after the 6 th day of storage at room temperature. Organoleptic evaluation of the reconstituted curd was judged as acceptable. The curd thus prepared possessed the health beneicial and organoleptic property to support and supplement the rural health and economy. Ready to Eat Curd-A Step towards Rural Transformation Gowri Sukumar and Asit Ranjan Ghosh* Centre for Infectious Diseases and Control, School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu, India