STUDIES ON PROBIOTIC POTENTIAL OF DAIRY PROPIONIBACTERIA

Abstract

Probiotic criteria of nine Propionibacterium strains, e.g. acid tolerance, bile tolerance, antimicrobial activity, fermentation of carbohydrates, phenol resistance, acidification properties, exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and antibiotic susceptibility were examined in vitro. The obtained results were used to select the proper Propionibacterium strains that utilized for manufacturing functional soft cheese. Accordingly, the effect of different concentrations of prebiotics (inulin, littesse, xylitol, lactitol, dextrin, fructofin, fructooligosaccharides) and different protective cultures (Lactobacillus retueri, Lactobacillus casei shirota, Lactobacillus johnsunii, Lactobacillus paracaesei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium bifidum) on survival and viability of the selected probiotic propionibacteria, for utilizing them as synbiotic cultures in functional soft cheese manufacturing; were investigated.