Biotransformation of phenolic profiles and improvement of antioxidant capacities in jujube juice by select lactic acid bacteria

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of four commercial lactic acid bacteria (LAB), namely L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. helveticus and L. plantarum, on the phenolic profiles, antioxidant capacities and flavor profiles of jujube juices prepared from two crop varieties (Ziziphus Jujuba cv. Muzao and Hetian). Results showed that both jujube juices were excellent matrices for LAB growth with more than 11 log CFU/mL of viable counts at the end of fermentation. LAB fermentation dramatically increased total phenolic content, while decreased total flavonoid content of jujube juices. However, antioxidant capacities based on DPPH and FRAP methods were significantly improved by LAB fermentation and positively correlated with caffeic acid and rutin contents. Furthermore, a total of 74 volatile compounds were identified and increased in total content by LAB fermentation, which resulted in 22 and 19 new flavor volatiles formation in Muzao juice and Hetian juice, respectively.