Development and characterization of a functional whey-based beverage enriched with encapsulated elderberry (Sambucus nigra) anthocyanins, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, and inulin

Abstract This study aims to examine the use of encapsulating elderberry fruit anthocyanins with whey protein isolates in B. coagulans (BC30) and whey beverages with additional inulin. Anthocyanins were extracted from elderberry fruit and combined with whey protein isolate to create 6 unique whey beverages that contained BC30 and inulin. Control group K, anthocyanin-containing group A, BC30-containing group B, BC30 and inulin-containing group C, BC30 and anthocyanin-containing group D, BC30, anthocyanin, and inulin-containing group E were determined. These beverages were stored at 4°C for 28 days, and the determination of anthocyanin content in the beverages, determination of anthocyanin stability, microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory analyses were performed. The total amount of anthocyanin was found to be 174.8 mg L − 1 after anthocyanin extraction, and the encapsulation efficiency was 50.46%. The group B had the most TMAB on 28th day of analysis. The TPAB counts of their beverages were discovered to be 4.52–4.63 log10 CFU mL − 1 on the first day of analysis. The group with the lowest BC30 count on the first day of analysis of the beverage groups (B, C, D, and E) with BC30 added is group D, with 7.1 log10 CFU mL − 1 . The group with the highest number of BC30 is group B with 7.83 log10 CFU mL − 1 . The anthocyanin-containing groups (A, D, and E) had radical scavenging activity values of 51.35% ± 19.4%, 60.21% ± 15.7%, and 60.63% ± 15.2%, respectively. Consequently, it is anticipated that the created whey beverages will provide the food sector with crucial market data.