Vol. 14, Issue 5 (2025)

Author(s):
Nandhini K and Dr. PL Sridevi Sivakami

Abstract:
Gut health relates to the effective function and balance of the digestive tract and its microbial community. A healthy gut ensures nutrient absorption, waste elimination, immune protection, and even mental balance. A Probiotic health drink using natural and locally available ingredients, high in their fiber, carbohydrates, antioxidant content and ability to support gut health. The main aim of the study is to formulate a probiotic health powder, to analyze their physiochemical and antioxidants properties and to incorporate in different drinks to assess its sensory acceptability. The powdered base was prepared by drying and grinding the selected ingredients like jackfruit seed powder, beetroot powder, banana peel powder and sweet potato powder. The formulated health powder per 100g contained, Energy 355 kcal, Carbohydrates 81.5 g, Protein 6.73 g, Fat 0.24 g and Fiber 3.20 g and Resistant starch 1.28 percentage, Antioxidant inhibition started at 39.88 percent for 10 µg\ml and peaked at 73.61 percentage at 14 µg\m and Phytochemical inhibition was 34.72 percent at 2 µl and dropped to 12.5 percent at 10 µl. This powder (15g) was then mixed with different liquids such as cow’s milk, buttermilk, curd, jackfruit seed milk, coconut milk and falooda to make the probiotic drink. Each variation was tested for sensory attributes by a panel of 10 semi-trained members using a 9-point hedonic scale. Among the results, drinks prepared with cow’s milk Variation II scored the highest overall acceptability of 35±5, with strong ratings across all sensory attributes. Buttermilk had top scores in Variations I, II and V all scoring 35±7 or 35±8, indicating good taste and appearance. Curd Variations I and II achieved 34±7 and 33±8, In the coconut milk Variations I and VI stood out with acceptability scores of 35±7 and 36±5. Jackfruit seed milk generally received lower scores, with the best variation scoring 22±4, likely due to strong or unfamiliar flavors. This study successfully developed a nutritious and acceptable probiotic health drink which can be added in food on day to day basis to improve gut microbiota thus contributing to gut health.