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Abstract
This study presents a significant advancement by exploring the practical utilization of Lb. helveticus in frozen food products, specifically within an ice matrix. Thus, the aim of this research was to evaluate the stress tolerance of Lb. helveticus across a spectrum of simulated conditions, encompassing temperature, pH, NaCl concentrations, and sucrose levels. Moreover, the study investigated the viability of Lb. helveticus when integrated into a water-based ice matrix and subjected to storage at − 18 °C for a duration of 100 days. Furthermore, the gastrointestinal survivability of Lb. helveticus was assessed under simulated conditions. The probiotic exhibited stability at both 4 °C and 50 °C, sustaining survival rates exceeding 99% for a duration of 3 h. Additionally, it displayed high survivability rates (92–98%) across varied concentrations of NaCl, sucrose, and pH conditions. Nevertheless, notable declines in counts were observed following storage at − 18 °C for 60, 30, and 15 days in a model system with sucrose concentrations of 10, 18, and 30%, respectively. The formulation of the ice matrix, comprising 1% probiotic, 1% tangerine flavoring, and 18% sucrose, was selected based on achieving an acceptance rate of 85.9%. During gastrointestinal simulation, a reduction of ~ 3 log CFU/mL was recorded, with counts remaining above 6 log CFU/mL post-passage through the simulated gastric environment in the ice matrix application. These outcomes underscore the potential innovative applications of this probiotic in diverse food products subjected to varying stress conditions and frozen storage.