Effect of dairy probiotic combinations on in vitro gastrointestinal tolerance, intestinal epithelial cell adhesion and cytokine secretion

•Co-culturing of probiotics had an influence on changing their functional properties.•Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria demonstrated synergistic effect against gastric juice.•All probiotics and combinations showed lower viability in the presence of 0.3% bile.•The rates of adhesion of probiotic strains and their combinations were widely varied. Gastrointestinal tolerance, adhesion to intestinal epithelium and immunomodulation are critical factors in maintaining probiotic efficacy. Seven different types of fermented milk were made from goat's milk using various culture compositions of three probiotics: Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and Propionibacterium jensenii 702 and in vitro gastrointestinal tolerance, adhesion ability and stimulation of cytokine production by probiotics were evaluated. All probiotics and combinations demonstrated significantly lower viability after exposure to simulated gastric (pH 2.0) and intestinal (with 0.3% bile, pH 8.0) fluids (p