The Food Industry aims to develop new products, simultaneously, with quality and food safety characteristics, meeting the requirements of the consumers. The aim of this thesis was the development of three products derived from fermented fruit and vegetables juices, by lactic acid bacteria. Forteen strains of lactic acid bacteria in mono and/or co-culture were tested in the fermentation of the juices, in various combinations. For the beverage, the best results were obtained from the mixture of beet, apple and carrot juices, fermented by a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum. Fermentation of beet and carrot juices by L. plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides was the one that led to the best results another, the best result was obtained for salad dressing. The fermentation of beet juice with Lactobacillus pentosus was another god result for salad dressing. After 24 hours of fermentation, the three products reached a pH value lower than or equal to 4, which contributed to their microbiological stability. A reduction of total sugars of about 21% in the beverage and between 17 and 25% in the sauces was recorded. For the three products, the final value of lactic acid bacteria was approximately 9 log CFU/mL. For the fermented beverage, after 12 days of refrigeration at 7 °C, this value was 7 log CFU/mL. Sensory analysis showed that these three products have good market acceptance (≥60%) and are potentially marketable (>65%).

Mestrado em Engenharia Alimentar - Instituto Superior de Agronomia