Production of a “fermented lactic beverage” with health and probiotic properties from “Almond Milk” of Apulian almond varieties.

The almond represents one of the most common fruit crops in Puglia and is a food rich in unsaturated fats, protein, vitamins and flavonoids. Some of Puglia's most deserving varieties, processed into almond milk, can be used to obtain a highly digestible novel food product that is a vehicle for useful and potentially probiotic microorganisms. This study involved the production and comparison of two fermented almond milk products one to a mixture of three microorganisms (one yeast and two bacteria) isolated from kefir granules, and a second product obtained using the combination of three strains of lactic acid bacteria (WCFS1, probiotic; B2, riboflavin producer; Lp90, exopolysaccharide producer). The microbial consortium and the three strains of lactic acid bacteria were separately used for the production of different fermented lactic beverages using three almond milk preparations of the Apulian almond varieties “Montrone,” “Ferrara,” and “Calia,” prepared using a homogenizer and ultrasonic treatment. The fermented products showed a difference in the final structure of the obtained product. In fact, the one obtained by the microbial consortium from the Eastern European kefir granules exhibits greater homogeneity, the product obtained with the three strains of lactic acid bacteria has two phases, a whey and a clot, both of which are organoleptically sound. Results from the analysis of fresh almonds and fermented products, obtained by HPLC, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometers, GC-FID E-Nose and sensory analysis evaluation will be discussed.