Probiotic potential of kombucha drink from butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) flower with the addition of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum Dad-13

Probiotic products are considered functional foods because they benefit human health. Most probiotic products are usually based on dairy products, which limits their consumption by lactose-intolerant patients or vegan consumers. Kombucha, a tea-based fermented beverage using Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY), has been consumed for its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic activity. Meanwhile, others categorized kombucha as a probiotic drink. However, probiotics in kombucha were inconsistent because their presence in kombucha depends on the origin of kombucha. This study aimed to explore the diversity of the microorganisms in kombucha culture from Indonesia and to develop kombucha from floral butterfly pea flower tea by adding local probiotic L. plantarum Dad-13. Our result showed that Komagataeibacter and Zygosaccharomyces spp were the dominant microbiota in the local culture of kombucha. In this research, the concentration of probiotic cells added to kombucha fermentation affected the microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics. The growth profiles of yeast and acetic acid bacteria were slightly changed in kombucha with probiotics than in those without probiotics. The more lactic acid bacteria added the more acetic acid bacteria were at the end of fermentation; however, the total yeast counts remained similar. The butterfly pea flower kombucha with the probiotics had a lower pH and higher titratable acidity than without the probiotics, indicating that L. plantarum Dad-13 may contribute to acid production. The panelists preferred kombucha with probiotics (106 CFU/mL) based on sourness, taste, and overall acceptability. The acetic acid production in kombucha with probiotics was lower than that in control without adding probiotics, whereas ethanol was not detected. Moreover, the physicochemical and microbiology of butterfly pea flower kombucha with probiotics were evaluated during storage for 28 days at 4 °C. The probiotic cells had a count of 6.26 log CFU/mL at the end of storage; thus, the butterfly pea flower kombucha is suitable for probiotic delivery.