Production of Probiotic Cheese (Cheddar-Like Cheese) Using Enriched Cream Fermented by Bifidobacterium infantis

¹ Centre de recherche en sciences et technologie du lait (STELA), Pavillon Paul-Comtois, Université Laval, Québec, PQ, Canada G1K 7P4
² Dairy section, Food Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, St. Hyacinthe, PQ, Canada J2S 8E3

Probiotic cheeses (Cheddar-like cheese) were produced with microfiltered milk standardized with cream enriched with native phosphocaseinate retentate and fermented by Bifidobacterium infantis. During the manufacture and storage of cheeses, viability of the bifidobacteria was determined. Biochemical changes such as proteolysis, sugar metabolism, and organic acids production were estimated. No bifidobacteria growth was observed during cheese-making steps. Bifidobacteria survived very well in cheeses packed in vacuum sealed bags kept at 4°C for 84 d and remained above 3 x 10₆ cfu/g of cheese. No significant difference was observed between cheeses produced with or without bifidobacteria for fat, protein, moisture, salt, ash, or pH. After 12 wk of storage, more than 56% of the a_s1-CN was hydrolyzed in cheeses that were produced with bifidobacteria and inoculated at 10₈ cfu/g in the cream, and >45% of hydrolysis was observed in the control cheese. However, no significant differences in the electrophoretic sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE patterns were observed in cheeses at any period of storage. At the first day after manufacture, lactose was completely hydrolyzed in cheeses made with bifidobacteria, which suggested high ß-galactosidase activity by B. infantis. Small quantities of acetic acid were detected in bifidus cheeses. The results indicated that B. infantis introduced into hard pressed cheese exhibited excellent viability during storage for 12 wk and could be metabolically active.

Key Words: bifidobacteria • probiotic • cheese • survival

Submitted on September 2, 1998
Accepted on January 25, 1999

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