Dark chocolate: delivery medium for probiotic Bifidobacterium breve NCIM 5671.

Bifidobacteria are widely acclaimed probiotic
bacteria, however, the fragile nature of the bacteria has rendered
its delivery through food products a challenge. The
aim of the present study was to develop probiotic dark chocolate
by incorporating Bifidobacterium breve NCIM5671.
The probiotic chocolate was prepared by adding B. breve to
dark chocolate at the final tempering stage. The chocolate
was evaluated for the viability of B. breve upon preparation
and during storage period of 90 days. The effect of addition
of B. breve on physiological parameters of chocolate
such as color, texture, rheology, melting profile, and sensory
profile was also determined. The probiotic chocolate
developed retained viability of B. breve (9 log CFU/g) for a
period of 90 days. No significant differences were observed
in physiological parameters of probiotic chocolate compared
to control chocolate. Overall the probiotic dark chocolate
was found to be a suitable matrix for delivery of B. breve
NCIM5671.