The quality of fermented milk produced using intestinal-origin lactic acid bacteria as starters

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the quality of fermented milk produced using intestinal-origin lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as starters. Fermentation was performed on pasteurised cow milk added with skim milk, constituting a total solid 18%, using a separate single starter of Lactobacillus casei strain AP, Lactobacillus casei strain AG, and Pediococcus acidilactici strain BE. The parameters observed were pH and acidity; nutritional quality, including protein, fat, and lactose content; product's viscosity; and total LAB count. The results showed that the different starter cultures employed did not affect the pH, acidity, fat and lactose contents of the products. The LAB starters affected protein contents and the viscosity of the fermented products. The highest score of viscosity (4.035,66 +/- 109.69 cP) was observed in fermented products using Lactobacillus casei strain AP as a starter, followed by products obtained using Pediococcus acidilactici strain BE (3.109,00 +/- 40.00 cP) and Lactobacillus casei strain AG (3.052,33 +/- 15.27 cP) as starters. Lactose and fat contents, acidity and pH, and total LAB count were not significantly different among fermented products. The average of the total LAB count was not different among products; however, the total LAB count increased during fermentation from 6.98 +/- 1.00 log10 CFU/ml to 8.15 +/- 0.61 log10 CFU/ml. In conclusion, the use of three strains of human-origin LAB as starters for dairy fermentation partially affected the physicochemical quality of the products, but not the microbiological qualities. (c) All Rights Reserved