Incorporation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum Dad-13 Into Chocolate Processing: The Effect on Physical, Nutritional, and Probiotics Viability During Storage.

Chocolate with added functional value has become increasingly popular due to growing consumer health awareness. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum Dad-13 isolated from dadih (fermented buffalo milk) is a potential probiotic strain exhibiting various health benefits. Probiotic chocolate was formulated by adding L. plantarum Dad-13. The experiments were performed in triplicate. The safety parameters of the chocolate, including microbial and heavy metal contamination, were evaluated to ensure its safety for consumption. Changes in probiotic chocolate's physical, nutritional, and microbial properties were compared to those of nonprobiotic chocolate. Storage trials were further conducted to better understand the viability of probiotics in the chocolate products. The chocolate used in this study was safe for consumption, as indicated by the low contamination levels. Chocolate supplemented with L. plantarum Dad-13 had similar nutritional characteristics to nonprobiotic chocolate. However, the addition of probiotics slightly altered its physical characteristics, resulting in broader melting properties, although this remained within a tolerable range. Storing the chocolate at low to moderate temperatures (4-20°C) could maintain the viability of L. plantarum Dad-13 above 8 log CFU/g for up to 30 days of storage, demonstrating its promising potential as a novel probiotic chocolate product.