Effects of pulsed electric fields on the development of a new fermented wheat-based beverage

The aim of this study was the production of a novel plant-based dairy alternative by fermentation of malted wheat prepared beverages with probiotic strains. The development of starter cultures tailored to different plant-based materials plays a crucial role in achieving better fermented plant-based dairy alternatives. Therefore, the isolation and study of new plant-based lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains is essential. In the present study 6 different species were isolated from grains wheat samples and identified by 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing: Enterococcus durans, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus coryniformis, Lactobacillus casei, Pediococcus acidilactici and Pediococcus pentosaceus. On the other hand, pulsed electric field (PEF) is a promising non-thermal food processing technology, which is used due to its benefits such as increasing the extraction of bioactive substances and shortening the fermentation time. This study also aimed to determine the effect of PEF pretreatment on the extraction of active ingredients such as sugars, proteins, and polyphenols, thus improving the yield and quality of fermented wheat beverages. For this purpose, PEF with 3 kV cm−1 of field strength was used as a pretreatment for the preparation of a malted fermented beverage. The effect of PEF pretreatment on the fermentation of two selected LAB species (P. acidilactici and P. pentosaceus) and Lactobacillus plantarum CECT 748 was studied at an incubation temperature of 37 ºC 24 h. The results showed that PEF treatment was able to promote the fermentation rate and reduce the acidity, which all improve the quality of wheat fermented beverages. The analysis of phenolic compounds indicated that both fermentation and specially PEF affected the presence ofphenolic compounds in wheat beverages. Some phenolic compounds present in the fermented beverages has potential in the fields of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and food additives. Although more studies with new experimental designs should be carried out, preliminary results indicated that the use of PEF might have a potential for fermented products such as wheat beverages.