Enhancing <i>Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</i> ATCC 9595 growth in <i>Aloe vera</i> juice fermentation with stingless bee honey

Consumers are increasingly seeking probiotic beverages for better health. Fermented Aloe vera juice is one such beverage. This study investigated Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus ATCC 9595 bacteria's activity in fermented Aloe vera juice with added stingless bee honey (SBH). Six formulations used as additives in Aloe vera juice: Formula A: 10% honey + 5% sugar; B: 5% honey + 5% sugar; C: 10% honey; D: 10% honey + 5% sugar + salt + vanilla; E: 2.5% honey + 10% sugar; and F (control): 10% sugar + ascorbic acid + salt + vanilla. Aloe vera juice was fermented with 5% (v/v) of L. rhamnosus ATCC 9595 (107 CFU/mL) for 48 hours at 37 ºC. The observed variables were optical density (OD), pH value, total L. rhamnosus , and total lactic acid. The results demonstrated that the addition of SBH increased L. rhamnosus growth. Formula D (10% honey + 5% sugar) resulted in a higher L. rhamnosus growth rate, with 7.52 Log CFU/mL total bacteria, 0.23 OD 600 nm, 0.64% of total acid, and a pH value of 3.70 than Formula F as a control without SBH. This study indicated that SBH is an inducer in L. rhamnosus growth in Aloe vera juice fermentation.