Características físico-químicas e microbiológicas e aceitação sensorial de leites fermentados por bactérias produtoras de ácido láctico isoladas de queijo coalho de Pernambuco

Abstract

In Brazil, as well as around the world, the consumer has been searching for foods that meet nutritional features and bring benefits to health, and one alternative for fit those requirements are the foods containing probiotics, mainly fermented milks. The Brazilian production of fermented milks is based on the use of imported starter cultures, marketed by foreign companies. However, there is great potential for the use of lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal dairy products made in Brazil, as the coalho cheese from Pernambuco. This study aimed to elaborate fermented milks from potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from that cheese; to evaluate the ability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus fermentum, isolatedly, ferment milk and result in final products with different sensory characteristics; to assess the viability of those bacteria in the fermented milks, as well as analyze the physical-chemical, microbiological, and sensory properties of them during storage for 45 or 60 days under refrigeration at 8-10°C. Fermentation profiles showed higher levels of acidity and lower values of pH in milks fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Both two fermented milks presented adequate quantities of viable micro-organisms, above 108CFU/g throughout the analyzed period. Regarding the sensory analysis, fermented milk analyzed at 15 days showed better acceptability of the panelists than at 60 days.