Abstract
The reported health effects of fermented dairy foods, which are traditionally manufactured in Bulgaria, are connected with their microbial biodiversity. The screening and development of probiotic starters for dairy products with unique properties are based exclusively on the isolation and characterization of lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains. This study aims to systematically describe the LAB microbial content of artisanal products such as Bulgarian-type yoghurt, white brined cheese, kashkaval, koumiss, kefir, katak, and the Rhodope’s brano mliako. The original technologies for their preparation preserve the valuable microbial content and improve their nutritional and probiotic qualities. This review emphasises the features of LAB starters and the autochthonous microflora, the biochemistry of dairy food production, and the approaches for achieving the fortification of the foods with prebiotics, bioactive peptides (ACE2-inhibitors, bacteriocins, cyclic peptides with antimicrobial activity), immunomodulatory exopolysaccharides, and other metabolites (indol-3-propionic acid, free amino acids, antioxidants, prebiotics) with reported beneficial effects on human health. The link between the microbial content of dairy foods and the healthy human microbiome is highlighted.
Highlights
According to Velikova et al (2018), 53% of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from homemade yoghurts belong to L. bulgaricus, 14% to other lactobacilli, and 32% to lactic acid cocci (S. thermophilus, Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactococcus lactis, Enterococcus faecium)
Traditional Bulgarian dairy products contain unique bacterial microflora that has evolved under specific climatic conditions over the centuries
In addition to the excellent technological qualities leading to wonderful taste, aromas, organoleptic properties and durability, LAB strains, both starter and autochthonous, contribute to the functionality of dairy foods
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Historians believe that the Thracian tribe Bizalti (who inhabited today’s lands of Shumen, Targovishte and Varna) were the first to start purposefully preparing fermented dairy products [5]. Another direction in the search for the origin of lactic acid dairy fermentation is offered by the descriptions of the Greek historian Herodotus, according to whom the Scythians (nomadic tribes living between the rivers Dnieper and Don) consumed sour milk. Metchnikoff suggested that there is a connection between the consumption of yoghurt and the number of Bulgarian centenarians He further proposed the hypothesis that the inhibition of harmful food fermentation in the gut can delay the process of ageing. In comparison to the other EU countries, the obtained genuine yoghurt (156,610 MT) and white brined cheese (899 MT) in Bulgaria were in limited quantities, but they are known for their very high quality [9]
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