Probiotic bacteria as adjunct starters: influence of the addition methodology on their survival in a semi-hard Argentinean cheese

Two strains of probiotic bacteria, one of Lactobacillus acidophilus and the other of Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei, were tested as adjunct cultures in cheese-making experiments, in order to assess their viability during cheese-making and ripening. The adjunct culture was added to cheese-making milk following two different methodologies: as a lyophilized powder dispersed in milk, or within a substrate composed of milk and milk fat. In all cheeses, probiotic bacteria increased a log cycle during cheese-making, and remained almost constant during ripening (60 days), always in higher number than required to meet probiotic standards. Gross composition of the cheeses was not affected by the addition of probiotic bacteria, except for pH value: cheeses with L. acidophilus added within the pre-incubated substrate, had lower pH values and were over acidified and crumbly. Direct addition of the probiotic culture was the methodology with the best performance; however the pre-incubation presented some advantages such as an increased population of lactobacilli in the initial inoculum.