Bacterial viability, antioxidant stability, antimutagenicity and sensory properties of onion types fermentation by using probiotic starter during storage

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess the bacterial viability, antioxidative activity, antimutagenicity and sensory evaluation of fermented onion types by using probiotic starters after fermentation at 37 °C for 24 hours and storage in the refrigerator for 28 days.

Design/methodology/approach

For onion fermentation, Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5), Bifidobacterium bifidum (BB-12), and Streptococcus thermophilus (ST) were utilised. This research was conducted on three types of onion: white onion, red onion and scallion. With a 5% brine solution, the onions were sliced into 3-5 cm long and 1-2 cm wide slices. The process of fermentation was achieved by adding 2% (10⁸ CFU/ gm) of fresh probiotic starter and incubating it for 24 hours at 37 °C. The fermented onion samples were kept in the refrigerator for 28 days. After fermentation and storage, the pH and total acidity were estimated, the vitality of probiotic bacteria was evaluated in samples of the onion species. The Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique was used to identify the bioactive components in fermented onion types. The antioxidant activity of fermented onions was measured using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging activity assay and the hydroxyl radical scavenging activity test. The Ames test was used to detect the antimutagenicity of fermented onion samples.

Findings

After fermentation, the fermented scallion (p = 0.036) has the highest vitality of all the starter bacteria species. The fermentation of onion types produced a pH of between 4.1–4.7 and 0.19–0.23% total acidity, which is in the range of reduced 3.1–3.5 pH values and 0.42–0.63% total acidity after 28 days. The viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum in fermented scallions was Log. 7.79 and 7.57 CFU/gm. The GC-MS technique found 14 bioactive compounds in fermented white onions and 13 compounds in fermented white onions, with 15 compounds in scallion fermentation. The majority of these bioactive compounds are strong antioxidants. The antioxidant properties of fermented scallion significantly increased after 28 days of storage time, showing an inhibitory effect on the DPPH assay (p = 0.02) and the scavenging activity of the hydroxyl radical assay (p = 0.01). Sensory evaluation tests revealed that the fermented scallion was a suitable product in terms of appearance, aroma and overall acceptability.

Originality/value

Commercially accessible probiotic foods account for a sizable portion of the consumer market. Furthermore, as consumer interest in healthy eating grows, so does demand for plant-based goods. All onion types fermented with probiotic bacteria have many chemical compounds that have both antioxidant and carcinogenic activity. The fermented scallion onion sample was significantly superior to the rest of the other types of onions.

Citation

Al-Sahlany, S.T.G. and Niamah, A.K. (2022), "Bacterial viability, antioxidant stability, antimutagenicity and sensory properties of onion types fermentation by using probiotic starter during storage", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 52 No. 6, pp. 901-916. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-07-2021-0204