Development of Finger Millet Based Probiotic Beverage Using Lactobacillus casei431

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) based probiotic beverage was formulated which comprised of health benefits from both finger millet and probiotic. Cooked finger millet was inoculated with L.casei 431® and incubated at 37 oC for 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h. The beverage was formulated with the addition of sucrose, fresh cow milk, and cocoa powder, and stored under refrigerated ( 5±1 °C) conditions. Sensory evaluation was conducted to select the best fermented time and the highest acceptability was achieved by the sample fermented for 4 h. Changes in physico-chemical characteristics (pH, titratable acidity, brix, and reducing/non-reducing sugars) and viable cell counts during refrigeration were monitored. pH was decreased from 7.10 (SD 0.01) to 5.05 (SD 0.00) and titratable acidity was increased significantly (p<0.05) due to lactic acid production by probiotic. Reducing and non-reducing sugars were decreased significantly (p<0.05) because of usage by probiotics.This study concludes that finger millet based probiotic beverage can be developed with L.casei 431® and it could be serve by keeping under refrigerated (5±1 °C) storage up to 5 weeks. Keywords: