Probiotic <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> <scp>LP28</scp> and <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> improve the bioactive content and quality of fruit‐based rice beverage

The increasing demand for plant-based beverages with improved functional and sensory qualities has guided this study, which examines the bioactive content, functional, and sensory properties of a rice, apple pomace, and sea buckthorn beverage (RASB) fermented with probiotic <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> and <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. We found out that total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and β-carotene were significantly higher in samples with <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>, particularly in coculture samples. These samples also exhibited elevated alcohol by volume (ABV). Monoculture samples showed increased total flavonol content (TFLC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), and proanthocyanidin. The RASB-LP sample, containing only <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i>, revealed the highest antioxidant properties, evidenced by DPPH (94.13 ± 0.05%) and ABTS (97.69 ± 0.09%) assays. Interestingly, 3-methylbutyl 3-methylbutanoate, abundant in the unfermented control, was hydrolyzed to 3-methyl-1-butanol in fermented samples, especially those containing <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. Sensory evaluation evidenced that RASB-LP scored highest for aroma and overall acceptability. FTIR analysis also indicated changes in functional groups of RASB samples. Together, our findings suggest that a novel probiotic cereal beverage with enhanced quality can be developed through the addition of fruit and fruit pomace, coupled with fermentation using <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> LP28 and <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>.