Probiotics Nut Butter

About

Probiotics have become a major factor in the choice of foods by health-conscious consumers and provide a number of benefits, including limiting the growth of pathogenic gut bacteria, reducing bloating, controlling symptoms from lactose intolerance, improving bowel regularity and enhancing nutrient absorption. Global demand in the probiotic food market sector is expected to grow at a 7.4% CAGR and exceed $55 billion in annual revenues by 2024 due to increased awareness, expanded access, and consumer preferences for natural products. However, a major impediment to growth for the industry is the limited shelf life due to the viability of health-promoting bacteria in most food products. Our technology enables cheaper and faster manufacturing of low water activity fat containing probiotic spreads and butters made from nuts, seeds and beans, including products made from peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, chia seeds, soybeans and sesame seeds. Typically, a slurry is made from freeze-dried probiotic bacteria and an edible oil. The slurry is subsequently blended into a warm nut/seed/bean butter around the time of addition of a structuring fat and before packaging. In addition to significantly improving the long-term survival of microorganisms over a 12-month period (1-3 logs higher survival) and extending shelf life, our technology ensures uniform physical distribution of the probiotic particles throughout the product. Probiotic stability has been demonstrated during room temperature storage so that product shipping, storage and sale do not require refrigeration. Eliminating cold storage in the value chain is important for both consumer and sales convenience and economy (e.g. difficulty spreading cold butters; shelving costs for retailers; transportation for manufacturers). Long term viability of probiotic bacteria was tested over a 12-month period measuring the number of colony forming units (CFU) from the bacterial genera Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria stored at 4oC and 20oC in multiple low water activity fat-based foods including peanut butter, anhydrous butterfat and palm fat.