Pomegranate Juice Fermentation with Lactobacillus

Pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) were obtained by a local market (Orestiada, Greece). They were washed and processed into juice by blending the seeds for 10 min. Sterilized water was added to adjust the initial sugar concentration to approximately 90 g/L, and the initial pH was adjusted to 3.5 with NaOH 4N. The prepared juice solutions (100 mL) were transferred into 250 mL flasks and pasteurized for 5 min at 80 °C, cooled at room temperature and finally used for the fermentations [26 (link)]. 1 g of harvested (wet weight) Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 14917 was added to 100 mL of pomegranate juice that was fermented at 30 °C for 24 h. The initial cell viability was determined at 11.42 log cfu/mL of juice. Then, the flaks were kept at 4 °C for 28 days (4 weeks). The fermentations were carried out in triplicate.