The Milk Producer - December 2010 - (Page 50)

THEBACKFORTY By Sharon Laidlaw Value-added novelty Adding probiotics to ice cream: the latest in a recent quest to enhance dairy products A s interest in enhanced foods continues to grow, scientists .around the world are researching new ways of incorporating probiotics into a wider range of food products. In Canada, there are probiotic cheeses, baby formulas and even pet products. Pick up any health-related magazine or search the words prebiotic or probiotic on the Internet and you’ll be inundated with information about how these live cultures and friendly bacteria can help improve health and boost your immune system. One of the most significant groups of probiotics is the lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, commonly used in fermented dairy products. A new Italian study aims to better understand how probiotics function in ice cream. Researchers from the Universita degli Studi del Molise in Italy formulated three different ice cream products by adding: • Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus; • 2.5 per cent inulin, a prebiotic ingredient that supports probiotic growth; • a combination of probiotics and prebiotics. The researchers found the ice creams preserved the probiotic bacteria and retained a high enough amount after freezing to achieve beneficial effects. The products containing L. casei and inulin also had good nutritional and sensory properties. Interest in probiotics would make a value-added, probiotic ice cream an attractive option for health-conscious consumers, the researchers said. “The benefits associated with soluble dietary fibre, probiotic microorganisms, or both, could bring attractive novel products to fulfil market niches. Probiotic bacteria showed high survival at the end of production and good survival during frozen storage,” one researcher added. Dairy foods are considered an ideal delivery system for probiotic cultures because milk and fermented dairy products help protect these bacteria during storage and act as a buffer against stomach acids, increasing the chance the bacteria will survive in the intestine. Research indicates probiotics confer certain health benefits beyond basic nutrition. For example, probiotics can help alleviate lactose intolerance symptoms, have anti-diarrheal effects and can reduce the severity of certain illnesses. The Italian study was published in the Journal of Dairy Science. 50 | December 2010 | MilkPRODUCER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - December 2010

The Milk Producer - December 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair's Message
Dairy Update
Industry Roundup
DFO Promotion
Back to Basics
Research
Applied Science
Index
Markets
New 'N' Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - December 2010