Improvement Effects of Different Prebiotics on the Characteristics of Probiotic Fermented Milk with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis PB200

In this study, four prebiotics including inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), and yeast β-glucan were added singly (inulin) or in different combinations (inulin + FOS + GOS and inulin + FOS + GOS + yeast β-glucan) to fermented milk containing Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis PB200. The titratable acidity, pH, whey syneresis and total viable count of the fermented milk were measured during storage periods. Moreover, the rheological and textural properties were measured. The aim was to clarify the effect of different prebiotic combinations on the yogurt system in order to obtain the optimal probiotic combination. Compared with the control group with no prebiotic added, the addition of prebiotics significantly delayed the post-acidification, and promoted the growth of B. animalis subsp. lactis PB200. Besides, the titratable acidity of fermented milk added with inulin, FOS, GOS and β-glucan was the lowest, and the titratable acidity increased slowly and whey syneresis was less with the extension of storage time. The addition of all four prebiotics could maintain a higher viable count of B. animalis subsp. lactis PB200. The results of rheological and textural analysis showed that yogurt added with all four prebiotics had higher gel strength, hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, adhesiveness and springiness, showing better texture. In summary, the addition of inulin, FOS, GOS and β-glucan resulted in better quality of probiotic fermented milk with B. animalis subsp. lactis PB200.