Preparation and shelf life study of probiotic chocolate manufactured using Lactobacillus helveticus MTCC 5463

Current study was taken up to develop probiotic chocolate using indigenous probiotic culture L. helveticus MTCC 5463. Preliminary trials included optimization of culture inoculums and physical form (freeze-dried or frozen concentrated) of addition and finally optimized product was tested for probiotic viability, texture, and organoleptic parameters at regular intervals during storage at 10±2 °C for 30 days. Probiotic chocolates prepared via incorporation of freeze dried culture (3% w/w) had acceptable organoleptic quality and had a similar behaviour as the control chocolate during storage. However, the viability of probiotic bacteria (2.42×10 8 CFU g –1 ) was achieved only up to 15 days of storage at 10±2 °C.