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August 2, 2024-GTU Office of Press and Public Relations
The project by Associate Professor Fatih Tarlak, a faculty member of the Department of Bioengineering at Gebze Technical University (GTU), has been awarded support under the TÜBİTAK 1002-A Short-Term Support Module. The project is titled "Optimization of the Symbiotic Yogurt Production Process and Development of Its Digital Twin Using Artificial Intelligence Algorithms."
The evaluation of foods by consumers is based not only on taste and nutritional content, but also on the special advantages they offer. Yogurt, a traditional dairy product that is quite common in our country, is a coagulated milk product formed by the lactic acid fermentation of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria, according to the Turkish Food Codex. The classic yogurt bacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, are partially inhibited by stomach acid.
Due to the inability of lactic acid bacteria used in the production of fermented dairy products to survive in the digestive system, probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp. adhere to the intestine by secreting mucous substances in the small intestine without being harmed by stomach acid, thus preventing harmful microorganisms from forming colonies.
Symbiotics are products used for nutrition and support, prepared by combining prebiotics with probiotics. It is known that symbiotics are effective in preserving the viability of probiotic bacteria as they pass through the stomach and small intestine, thereby selectively promoting the growth and proliferation of probiotics in the large intestine. Therefore, it is suggested that taking prebiotics, which are the nutrients for probiotics, together with probiotics, will allow probiotics to stay alive for a longer period. In this context, the positive health effects of symbiotics are anticipated to be greater compared to the separate application of probiotics and prebiotics.
Within the scope of this research, the nutritional value and benefits of symbiotic yogurt produced with the addition of freeze-dried bananas, which have a high prebiotic content to support the growth of probiotic bacteria, will be investigated in terms of their effects on the properties of yogurt. The project outputs are expected to make significant contributions to the food and nutrition literature. The comprehensive analyses to be conducted in the project will provide important scientific data not only to companies producing yogurt, but also to researchers conducting studies related to yogurt, making it the most comprehensive source study in the literature on symbiotic yogurt production.
Associate Professor Bengü Ergüden from GTU's Department of Bioengineering, Özgün Yücel, Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Meral Yıldırım Yalçın, Assistant Professor from Istanbul Aydın University, will be part of the project team as researchers. The project aims to provide a pioneering contribution to the sector by offering a new perspective to researchers in the fields of biopreservation and artificial intelligence.
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