Survival of probiotic bifidobacteria in buffalo curd and their effect on sensory properties

The feasibility of incorporating Bifidobacterium longum NCTC11818 in buffalo curd to produce a probiotic product was investigated. Fermentation at tropical ambient temperature (29 ± 2 °C), two storage temperatures (29 ± 2 °C and 4 ± 2 °C), and in three packaging materials (clay pots, plastic cups, and glass bottles) was investigated. Bifidobacteria survived for 3 days above the required population level of 10⁶ CFU g^?1 in buffalo curd packed in clay pots at 29 ± 2 °C. They did not persist at acceptable levels over the 4‐day shelf life because of the combined effects of temperature, acidity, and redox potential. Chill storage slows post‐fermentation acidification and prolongs bifidobacterial viability while packaging materials, which present a greater barrier to oxygen, had a similar effect. The results indicated that bifidobacteria could be successfully incorporated into buffalo curd to give a product which has improved acceptability. Probiotic buffalo curd, when compared to uninoculated curd, had significantly higher (P < 0.05) sensory scores for properties such as taste and mouth‐feel resulting in a significantly higher (P < 0.001) overall acceptability.