Changes in phenolic composition, antioxidant, sensory and microbiological properties during fermentation and storage of maize products

Mikulajová et al. Food Production, Processing and Nutrition (2024) 6:9 https://doi.org/10.1186/s43014-023-00191-8 Food Production, Processing and Nutrition Open Access RESEARCH Changes in phenolic composition, antioxidant, sensory and microbiological properties during fermentation and storage of maize products Anna Mikulajová1*, Zuzana Matejčeková1, Zlatica Kohajdová2, Silvia Mošovská1, Eva Hybenová1 and Ľubomír Valík1 Abstract In this study, we assessed the potential of maize (Zea mays) flour to serve as a substrate for the growth, metabolism, and survival of the Fresco culture cocci (Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris and Streptococcus thermophilus) and Bifidobacterium spp. (B. choerinum K1/1, B. pseudolongum K4/4, B. animalis subsp. animalis J3II, B. thermophilum DSM 20212), which could result in improved nutritional and sensory properties. Maize dairyfree mashes (flavoured with saccharose or caramel) were effectively fermented with Fresco culture for 8 h at 37 °C (3 log increase of counts on average). The functionality of products was proven within the cold storage period (21 days at 6 °C) when viable cell densities of potentially probiotic bacteria were sufficient to demonstrate healthpromoting effects (> 5 log CFU/mL). Fermentation process positively changed the contents and compositions of phenolic compounds. Total phenolic content was higher by about 11.5–94.68% in comparison to initial values (0 h). Caffeic acid recorded the highest increase, by about 21.7–151.7%. The antioxidant activity of fermented mashes was also improved. Overall sensory acceptance was enhanced from 2.1 (8 h) to 3.1–3.6 from 4.0 (21 d), which revealed pleasant acceptance of the final caramel products. Keywords Fermentation, Maize mashes, Bifidobacteria, Phenolics, Antioxidant *Correspondence: Anna Mikulajová Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Mikulajová et al. Food Production, Processing and Nutrition (2024) 6:9 Page 2 of 13 Introduction World’s population may suffer from adverse food reactions due to various forms of food allergy and food intolerance. It seems that its prevalence is increasing (Aaron et al. 2018; De Petrillo et al. 2021; Lopes & Sicherer 2020). One of the most frequent food intolerances is lactose intolerance, with a diagnosed prevalence of about 57% of the world’s population. There are variable percentages of prevalence across the world and ethnic groups as well. Lactose intolerance is widespread, especially in African and Asian countries, with a prevalence ranging from 70 to almost 100%. In the USA, the prevalence is about 36% on average, and in Europe, ranges from 5% in the northwestern countries to 70% in the southern countries (e.g., Italy) (Dewiasty et al. 2021; Storhaug et al. 2017). Lactose intolerance may develop in people with celiac. Chronic small intestine inflammation associated with celiac disease may lead to a reduction of lactase activity in the enterocyte brush border (Ojetti et al. 2005). On the other hand, lactose and additional intolerances may play role in non-responsive celiac disease, defined as persistent symptoms in patients on a gluten-free diet (Ojetti et al. 2005; Usai-Satta et al. 2022). The symptoms of these diseases often overlap and should be thoroughly diagnosed. Overall prevalence of celiac disease ranges from 0.5% to 2%. It is less common in countries of East Asia (Japan, Vietnam) or sub-Saharan Africa, where gluten-containing cereals are not the dominant part of diet. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, and although it is a T-cellmediated immune response to gluten, it is not classified as a food allergy (Catassi et al. 2022). A lactose- and gluten- restricted diet is the common therapeutic approach in lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity although this strategy may have nutritional disadvantages with reduced calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin intake (Alkalay 2022; Catassi et al. 2022; Montalto et al. 2006). In addition, intestine inflammation, and reduced absorption of nutrients from food may lead to associated health problems (Alkalay 2022; Dewiasty et al. 2021). Proper management of food intake to provide a nutritionally balanced diet is an essential part of patients’ lives. Maize (Zea mays) is one of the most common cereals used to produce foodstuffs for celiac patients. Major maize grain constituents are starch (70–75%), proteins (8–10%) and lipids (4–5%) (Arendt & Zannini 2013). Zeins and glutelins are the most abundant protein fractions. Amino acid composition is deficient in lysine and tryptophan (Wang et al. 2008). Maize dietary Graphical Abstract Mikulajová et al. Food Production, Processing and Nutrition (2024) 6:9 Page 3 of 13 fibre content is 2%, mineral contents range from 1.0 to 1.3%, and levels of vitamins (E and B group), phytosterols and phenolics are also significant. β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin are the predominant provitamins A. On the other hand, maize is deficient in vitamin B 12 (Arendt & Zannini 2013). The main phenolics in maize grain are phenolic acids, among which the predominant is ferulic acid and p‐coumaric acid. The presence of caffeic acid, gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, and syringic, protocatechuic acid, and vanillic acid was also reported (Salinas-Moreno et al. 2017). Phenolic acids have strong pharmacological activities, and many of them are associated with their antioxidant properties. These compounds are metabolized in humans after absorption by the intestine/colon mucosa through the portal vein to the liver. Their transformation results in the change of structure and biological effects (Kumar & Goel 2019). A potential alternative to improve the nutritive quality of maize, and overall, to patient diet enrichment can be microbial fermentation treatment. The previous studies indicate that fermentation improves the quality of proteins, digestibility of protein, and starch, bioavailability of minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium), production or increasing of phenolic compounds, vitamins K, B group, an (...truncated)