Abstract

Gummy jelly is a food that can be used as a functional carrier for probiotics, bioactive substances, and vitamins. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a gummy jelly produced from lychee juice fermented with Limosilactobacillus fermentum T0701. The gummy jelly was prepared using lychee juice as a substrate and fermented with L. fermentum T0701. The gummy jelly prepared as Recipe 2 (+Pro15G) and Recipe 4 (+Pro20G), and the nonprobiotic samples prepared as Recipe 1 (−Pro15G) and Recipe 3 (−Pro20G), were evaluated for sensory properties and characteristics. Recipe 2 was further analyzed for nutritional value and storage properties. The number of probiotic cells (log CFU/g) increased to 10.84 ± 3.34 and the pH decreased to 4.08 ± 0.21 after fermentation of lychee juice with L. fermentum T0701. The sensory attributes were widely acceptable for Recipe 2; however, the lowest acceptability scores for aroma and appearance in Recipe 2 were significantly different compared with nonprobiotic lychee gummy jelly Recipes 1 and 3, respectively. Additionally, the Recipe 2 per 100 g weight contained high protein (16.23 g), low fat or low saturated fat (0.15–0.21 g), and low sodium (26.96 mg) contents. The viable probiotic counts in the enriched lychee gummy jelly decreased below the recommended probiotic threshold of 10⁶ CFU/g during storage, whereas reduced moisture content (44.82% ± 1.09%–35.87% ± 1.09%) and increased water activity (0.95 ± 0.001–0.98 ± 0.001) were observed during storage. Notably, probiotic viability decreased to undetectable levels after 30 days, indicating a limitation in maintaining probiotic stability. This reduction may affect the classification of the product as a probiotic food, as sufficient viable cell counts are required to confer health benefits. Therefore, further optimization is necessary to enhance probiotic survival during storage. We developed a probiotic lychee gummy jelly that can be used to improve products in functional sugar-based confectionery.