## 3 Results and Discussion
### Characteristics of the Fermented Apple Juice

Table 5: Overall acceptability, emotions induced for consumers, and physicochemical properties of fermented apple juice samples. Comparing non-fermented and fermented AJ, a broader spectrum of pathogen inhibition was shown by fermented AJ samples (Table 8), and the sample with the highest overall acceptability (AJ fermented for 48 h with LUHS122) inhibited 4 out of 10 tested pathogens. Also, reducing the pH and increasing the ethanol concentration of AJ samples increased the spectrum of pathogen inhibition, and moderate negative correlations were found between pH and ethanol concentration and the number of pathogens inhibited (r = \(-\)0.4067 and r = \(-\)0.5051, respectively). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Frozen Apple Juice**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Fresh Apple Juice**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Lactic Acid Bacteria Strain Used for Fermentation**} \\ \cline{2-9}
**Parameters** & **LUHS122** & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**LUHS210**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**LUHS122**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**LUHS210**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Duration of Fermentation, h**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Duration of Fermentation, h**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & **24** & **48** & **24** & **48** & **24** & **48** & **24** & **48** \\ \hline LAB count, & & & & & & & & \\ log\({}_{10}\) CFU g\({}^{-1}\) & 7.25 \(\pm\) 0.22 c & 7.59 \(\pm\) 0.11 d & 7.14 \(\pm\) 0.14 b & 7.11 \(\pm\) 0.13 b & 6.61 \(\pm\) 0.16 a & 7.44 \(\pm\) 0.13 c,d & 7.09 \(\pm\) 0.09 b & 7.08 \(\pm\) 0.21 b \\ \hline LAB–lactic acid bacteria; CFU—colony-forming units; LUHS122—_L. plantarum_ strain LUHS122; LUHS210—_L. case_ strain LUHS210. _L. case_ strain LUHS210. _L. case_ strain LUHS210. _a–d—The mean values within a line with different letters are significantly different (\(p\leq 0.05\))._ \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: Viable lactic acid bacteria count in fermented apple juice samples. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Frozen Apple Juice**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Fresh Apple Juice**} \\ \cline{2-9}
**Parameters** & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**LURHS122**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**LUHS210**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**LUHS122**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**LUHS210**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Duration of Fermentation, h**} \\ \cline{2-9}  & **24** & **48** & **24** & **48** & **24** & **48** & **24** & **48** \\ \hline Fructose, & & & & & & & & \\ G\({}_{100}\) g\({}^{-1}\) & 11.2 \(\pm\) 0.10 e & 10.9 \(\pm\) 0.09 d & 11.3 \(\pm\) 0.13 e & 10.9 \(\pm\) 0.11 d & 6.85 \(\pm\) 0.06 b & 6.66 \(\pm\) 0.05 a & 7.23 \(\pm\) 0.07 c & 7.21 \(\pm\) 0.05 c \\ Glucose, & & & & & & & & \\ \(\beta\) 100 g\({}^{-1}\) & 2.88 \(\pm\) 0.15 b & 2.80 \(\pm\) 0.18 b & 2.86 \(\pm\) 0.16 b & 2.76 \(\pm\) 0.13 b & 1.60 \(\pm\) 0.11 a & 1.55 \(\pm\) 0.10 a & 1.64 \(\pm\) 0.14 a & 1.58 \(\pm\) 0.13 a \\ Saccharomyces, & & & & & & & & \\ \(\beta\) 100 g\({}^{-1}\) & 1.47 \(\pm\) 0.12 d & 1.34 \(\pm\) 0.10 d & 1.43 \(\pm\) 0.12 d & 1.30 \(\pm\) 0.11 d & 0.980 \(\pm\) 0.018 b & 0.880 \(\pm\) 0.017 a & 1.04 \(\pm\) 0.10 c & 0.920 \(\pm\) 0.021 a \\ Ethanol, & & & & & & & & \\ g 100 g\({}^{-1}\) & 0.008 \(\pm\) 0.002 b & 0.002 \(\pm\) 0.001 a & 0.001 \(\pm\) 0.001 a & 0.003 \(\pm\) 0.001 a & 0.002 \(\pm\) 0.001 a & 0.001 \(\pm\) 0.001 a & 0.013 \(\pm\) 0.002 c & 0.006 \(\pm\) 0.002 b \\ \hline LUHS122—_L. plantarum_ strain LUHS122; LUHS210—_L. case_ strain LUHS210. a–e—The mean values within a line with different letters are significantly different (\(p\leq 0.05\)). \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 7: Saccharide and ethanol concentrations in fermented apple juice.