Encapsulation of probiotic bacteria in lamb rennet paste: effects on the quality of Pecorino cheese.

Lamb rennet pastes containing encapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus and a mix of Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium lactis were produced for Pecorino cheese manufacture from Gentile di Puglia ewe milk. Cheeses were denoted as RP cheese when made with traditional rennet paste, RP-L cheese when made with rennet paste containing L. acidophilus culture, and RP-B cheese when made with rennet paste containing a mix of B. lactis and B. longum. Biochemical features of Pecorino cheese were studied at 1, 15, 30, 60, and 120 d of cheese ripening. The effect of encapsulation and bead addition to rennet acted on a different way on the viability of probiotic. Lactobacillus acidophilus retained its viability for 4 to 5 d and then showed a fast reduction; on the other hand, B. longum and B. lactis experienced kinetics characterized by an initial death slope, followed by a tail effect due to acquired resistance. At 1 d of ripening, the levels of L. acidophilus and bifidobacteria in cheese were the lowest, and then increased, reaching the highest levels after 30 d; such cell loads were maintained throughout the ripening for L. acidophilus, whereas bifidobacteria experienced a decrease of about 1 log cfu/g at the end of ripening. Enzymatic activities and biochemical features of cheeses were influenced by the type of rennet used for cheesemaking. Greater enzymatic activity was recorded in RP-L and RP-B cheese due to the presence of probiotic bacteria released from alginate beads. A positive correlation was found between enzymatic activities and water-soluble nitrogen and proteose-peptone in RP-B and RP-L cheeses; water-soluble nitrogen and proteose-peptone were the highest in RP-B. Principal component analysis distinguished RP-L from the other cheeses on the basis of the conjugated linoleic acid content, which was higher in the RP-L due to the ability of L. acidophilus to produce conjugated linoleic acid in the cheese matrix.

Santillo A ，Albenzio M ，Bevilacqua A ，Corbo MR ，Sevi A ... -  《-》

Probiotic in lamb rennet paste enhances rennet lipolytic activity, and conjugated linoleic acid and linoleic acid content in Pecorino cheese.

Santillo A ，Albenzio M ，Quinto M ，Caroprese M ，Marino R ，Sevi A ... -  《-》

Biochemical patterns in ovine cheese: influence of probiotic strains.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of lamb rennet paste containing probiotic strains on proteolysis, lipolysis, and glycolysis of ovine cheese manufactured with starter cultures. Cheeses included control cheese made with rennet paste, cheese made with rennet paste containing Lactobacillus acidophilus culture (LA-5), and cheese made with rennet paste containing a mix of Bifidobacterium lactis (BB-12) and Bifidobacterium longum (BB-46). Cheeses were sampled at 1, 7, 15, and 30 d of ripening. Starter cultures coupled with probiotics strains contained in rennet paste affected the acidification and coagulation phases leading to the lowest pH in curd and cheese containing probiotics during ripening. As consequence, maturing cheese profiles were different among cheese treatments. Cheeses produced using rennet paste containing probiotics displayed higher percentages of alpha(S1)-I-casein fraction than traditional cheese up to 15 d of ripening. This result could be an outcome of the greater hydrolysis of alpha-casein fraction, attributed to higher activity of the residual chymosin. Further evidence for this trend is available in chromatograms of water-soluble nitrogen fractions, which indicated a more complex profile in cheeses made using lamb paste containing probiotics versus traditional cheese. Differences can be observed for the peaks eluted in the highly hydrophobic zone being higher in cheeses containing probiotics. The proteolytic activity of probiotic bacteria led to increased accumulation of free amino acids. Their concentrations in cheese made with rennet paste containing Lb. acidophilus culture and cheese made with rennet paste containing a mix of B. lactis and B. longum were approximately 2.5 and 3.0 times higher, respectively, than in traditional cheese. Principal component analysis showed a more intense lipolysis in terms of both free fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid content in probiotic cheeses; in particular, the lipolytic pattern of cheeses containing Lb. acidophilus is distinguished from the other cheeses on the basis of highest content of health-promoting molecules. The metabolic activity of the cheese microflora was also monitored by measuring acetic, lactic, and citric acids during cheese ripening. Cheese acceptability was expressed for color, smell, taste, and texture perceived during cheese consumption. Use of probiotics in trial cheeses did not adversely affect preference or acceptability; in fact, panelists scored probiotic cheeses higher in preference over traditional cheese, albeit not significantly.

Albenzio M ，Santillo A ，Caroprese M ，Marino R ，Trani A ，Faccia M ... -  《-》

Influence of lamb rennet paste containing probiotic on proteolysis and rheological properties of pecorino cheese.

Santillo A ，Albenzio M 《-》

Physicochemical properties of Scamorza ewe milk cheese manufactured with different probiotic cultures.

The present study was undertaken to produce functional Scamorza cheese from Gentile di Puglia ewe milk by incorporating probiotic strains into the cheese matrix and to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics of Scamorza ewe milk cheese. Gentile di Puglia ewe bulk milk was used for Scamorza cheese production. Cheeses were denoted S-CO for control Scamorza cheese, S-BB for Scamorza cheese made using a mix of Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium lactis, and S-LA for Scamorza cheese made using Lactobacillus acidophilus as probiotic strain. Cheeses were analyzed at 1, 7, and 15 d of ripening. Probiotic cell recovery in cheese was 7.55 ± 0.07 log10 cfu/g and 9.09 ± 0.04 log10 cfu/g in S-LA and S-BB cheese, respectively; probiotic cheeses also displayed the highest levels of lactic microflora. Reverse-phase HPLC chromatograms of the water-soluble nitrogen fraction showed a more complex profile in S-BB, with distinctive peaks in the early-eluting zone. The matured Scamorza cheese containing the mix of B. longum and B. lactis was characterized by significantly higher levels of Gln, Ser, Arg, Ile, and Leu, whereas cheese containing Lb. acidophilus was characterized by higher levels of Tyr and Met. Total FFA content was the highest in S-LA, intermediate in S-BB, and the lowest in S-CO cheese; in particular, Scamorza cheese containing Lb. acidophilus showed the highest level of vaccenic acid, oleic acid, and total conjugated linoleic acid. Probiotic bacteria survived through the technological phases of pasta filata cheese production, maintained their specific metabolic pathways, and conferred functional properties to Scamorza ewe milk cheese.

Albenzio M ，Santillo A ，Caroprese M ，Ruggieri D ，Napolitano F ，Sevi A ... -  《-》