Perspective of using propionic acid bacteria to produce functional foods based on milk whey

Abstract

The article describes the useful properties of milk whey, a product of milk secondary processing in the production of cheese, cottage cheese and casein. The characteristic of propionic acid bacteria, their role in maintaining the normal functional state of the human organism is shown. Research is carried out to study strains of propionic acid bacteria Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. globosum B-3, 112, X3 from the “Siberian collection of microorganisms” while cultivating them on a growing milk whey based medium. The dynamics of the propionic acid bacteria count during storage, their production of vitamin B12, the ability to suppress the growth of opportunistic pathogens (Clostridium perfringens) are studied. Research results shows that milk whey is a good growing medium for the development of propionic acid bacteria. When cultivated on a whey-supplemented medium, a multistrain culture of propionic acid bacteria shows a high survival rate (at least 108 CFU/cm3) during storage for 180 days. The results prove the perspective of using the studied strains Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. as probiotic cultures in the development of whey-based fermented products.