Abstract
The aim of the present study is the evaluation of a novel potentially probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei SP5, previously isolated from dairy products, as a starter culture of white brined cheese production, either free or immobilized on a traditional food, “trahanas”, in order to provide protection to the starter culture and a prebiotic effect. All produced cheeses were compared with cheese manufactured by renin enzyme. Several parameters that affect the acceptability, quality, and shelf life of white brined cheese were investigated, including microbial populations, physicochemical characteristics, and cheese volatiles through 70 days of ripening and storage. White brined cheese production by free or immobilized L. paracasei SP5 resulted in significantly higher acidity (over 0.8 g of lactic acid/100 g of cheese at the 70th day of ripening) and significantly reduced counts (around 50%) of coliforms, yeasts, and fungi compared to cheese produced with no starter culture. The use of the freeze-dried novel starter culture, either free or immobilized, improved the aromatic profile of cheeses as was proven through a GC-MS analysis. In addition, it should be underlined that the application of the novel strain led to white brined cheese with improved overall quality and sensory characteristics. The results indicate the potential industrial use of freeze-dried L. paracasei SP5 as a starter culture for the production of good-quality functional white brined cheeses.
Highlights
While the consumption of foods is intended for delivering required nutrients, a new trend has been developed lately regarding the development of functional foods with additional properties contributing positively in health [1,2,3]
The pH value and acidity of cheese samples were significantly affected by the ripening time and the type of the starter culture that was used for the production of the cheeses
The breakdown of lipids to free fatty acids by the lipolytic enzymes led to the increase of the lipolysis index and the catabolism of lactose to lactic acid by the starter culture and total bacterial count
Summary
While the consumption of foods is intended for delivering required nutrients, a new trend has been developed lately regarding the development of functional foods with additional properties contributing positively in health [1,2,3]. There is an increased demand and preference by the consumers lately to functional foods. The main reasons for this new trend are the many advantages that functional foods may offer to the consumers, such as an enhancement of the immune system, improvements of the gastrointestinal system, and the prevention of various diseases and disorders (e.g., lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia) [2,4,5,6]. There are many subcategories of functional foods such as prebiotic and probiotics.
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