Development of multifunctional yeast probiotic efervescent tablets from bioconversion of mangosteen pericarp juice: a potential approach to enhance health benefts

This study presents a potential approach to produce efervescent tablets with yeast probiotic and bio-converted mangosteen pericarp juice (MPEj), aiming to deliver both multifunctional health benefts and appealing color. The process involved fermenting MPEj with Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii to modify its composition and increase the yeast population. Subsequently, the bio-converted MPEj and yeast cells were separated to generate powdered forms for producing efervescent tablets. Through response surface methodology, varying MPEj and nitrogen source concentrations revealed the optimal condition: 20% MPEj and 0.5% nitrogen source, yielding a yeast viability of 8.67±0.24 CFU/mL When scaling up yeast fermentation, both fask and bioreactor demonstrated similar trend, with bioreactor exhibiting notably enhanced growth rates in MPEj as well as signifcant changes in TSS, TTA, and pH during fermentation. After fermentation, MPEj displayed increased antioxidant activity, altered phenolic content, increased isoleucine levels, and presence of propionate, indicating biotransformation driven by yeast. Efervescent tablets met quality standards and demonstrated enhanced yeast survival in simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Moreover, surface property testing, specifcally hydrophobicity, revealed improved adherence to intestinal cells, suggesting the potential for prolonged gastrointestinal retention. This study underscores promising application of MPEj fermentation with yeast probiotic in developing functional probiotic tablets with enhanced health benefts.