Production of dry culture from luwak-isolated Lacticaseibacillus paracasei using soy-based flour: its viability and activity

Luwak coffee is a unique coffee produced by the civet digestive system. Its rarity is a key characteristic, but this can be overcome by producing artificial luwak coffee using a dried culture of an isolate of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, whose physiological properties have not been studied. This study aims to assess the physiology of the isolate and to characterize the luwak coffee-dry culture (LCDC), which various amounts of soy-based flour, including soybean, tempeh, and soybean sprouts, as a Nitrogen source. The stages include a study of the physiology of the isolate, and the addition of soy-based flour to the starter growth medium. The findings indicate that isolate cells are bacillus-shaped, gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, and homo-fermentative. They can grow at temperatures of 15 °C, 37 °C, and 45 °C, as well as at salt concentrations of 4 % and 6.5 %. LCDC supplemented with 10 g of tempeh flour showed promising results, with the highest viability (9.45 log10 CFU/g) and fermentation power, and a water content of less than 8%. As for fermentation capacity, the glucose fermentation capacity is 109.17 mg glucose (hg)-1 of LCDC, the total titratable acid is 5.11 mg LA (hg)-1, and the pH value is 4.30. Robusta luwak coffee, a specialty coffee, is produced by fermenting LCDC for 18 hours, achieving the highest total score of 81.38. The flavor profile is described as chocolate-like, with a hint of brown sugar, a spicy aftertaste, a sweet aftertaste, a hint of rubber, chocolate fruit, and a hint of medicine. Key words: Specialty coffee; flavor profile; luwak coffee-dry culture; nitrogen sources; fermentation capacity.