Agro-food technologies Technological offers New bifidobacteria with low levels of acetic acid
New bifidobacteria with low levels of acetic acid
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- Category: Technological offers
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02 Nov 2011
CSIC’s scientists at the Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA) have patented the use of low acetic acid producing bifidobacteria that can be used for obtaining new fermented functional products.
Nowadays, the vast majority of bifidobacteria used in products for food consumer goods belong to the specie Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. lactis, and they are added at the end of the process. Therefore they don’t participate in the fermentation process.
B.lactis has very interesting technological characteristics, as it is in general very resistant to many industrial treatments: they can resist either high temperatures or refrigerating temperatures, moderate to high concentrations of salt, and they can live in the presence of air or oxygen (aerobiosis). That enables the bacteria to arrive in good state to the consumer.
Nevertheless, the inconvenience of these microorganisms is that, during the fementation process, they produce high quantities of acetic acid, which confers a taste and a smell that are unpleasant and not well accepted by the consumer.
CSIC’s scientists at the Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), have obtained new bifidobacteria strains that could be used in the fermentation process. They have isolated and modified B.lactis strains that produce low levels of acetic acid. These bifidobacteria could be used in milk fermentation and avoid the unpleasant organoleptic properties.
Currently there are no dairy products on the market which are exclusively fermented with bifidobacteria. This development, which has already been patented, could allow the production of new products such as fermented milks or other functional products.
Besides, the use of active bifidobacteria that have contributed to the fermentation process would make them more stable. Also, other additional processes such as liophylization would not be necessary.
Contact:
Estrella Maroto
Oficina de Transferencia de Tecnología del CSIC
Phone. +34 91 568 15 32 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
