Probiotic fermented beverages based on acid whey

摘要

Acid whey is a byproduct of cheesemaking that is difficultto use because of its low pH and less-favorable processingproperties compared with rennet whey. The aimof this study was to evaluate the qualities of fermentedbeverages made using acid whey. In manufacturingthe beverages, we used probiotic cultures Lactobacillusacidophilus LA-5 or Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactisBB-12. The production process included combiningpasteurized acid whey with UHT milk, unsweetenedcondensed milk, or skim milk powder. We introducedmilk to enrich casein content and obtain a product withcharacteristics similar to that of fermented milk drinks.The products were stored under refrigerated conditions(5 ± 1°C) for 21 d. During storage, we assessed thebeverages’ physicochemical properties and organolepticcharacteristics. The properties of the beveragesdepended on their composition, microbial culture, andstorage time. Beverages containing L. acidophilus hadhigher acidity, which increased during storage; the acidityof samples containing B. animalis was more stable.Beverages made with skim milk powder (La1 and Bb1)had higher acetaldehyde content, but this parameterdecreased in all samples during storage. The hardnessof the samples did not change during storage and washighest in beverage La3, made from whey, condensedmilk, and L. acidophilus. Beverage La2, made fromwhey, milk, condensed milk, and L. acidophilus, hadthe best sensory properties. The whey beverages wedeveloped provided a good medium for the probioticbacteria; bacteria count throughout the storage periodexceeded 8 log cfu/mL, distinctly higher than the minimumtherapeutic dose.