Fermented unripe cornelian cherry as a functional food

Abstract

Consumer trends are changing due to the increasing awareness of the link between diet and health. The largest segment of the functional food market comprises foods fortified with probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. Fruits already containing high levels of beneficial substances can be reinforced with probiotic bacteria that can bring about additional health promoting features. Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) fruits are rich sources of polyphenols and iridoids, valuable for fresh consumption or processing. Unripe fruits is manufactured by Arboretum in Bolestraszyce as a traditional product. The aim of this work was to evaluate the probiotic strains in order to determine their potential in the development of new starter cultures for functional food – green fermented cornelian cherry.