AMINO ACID COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF MILK FERMENTED BY VARIOUS LACTIC CULTURES

A total of nine milk products were analyzed for total and free amino acids and total and nonprotein nitrogen. The products were: (1) whole milk (WM), (2) skim milk (SM), (3) WM fermented by Streptococcus thermophilus, (4) SM fermented by S. thermophilus, (5) WM fermented by Lactobacillus bulgaricus, (6) SM fermented by L. bulgaricus, (7) WM fermented by L. acidophilus, (8) SM fermented by L. acidophilus and (9) commercially prepared buttermilk. Essential amino acid content of the fermented milk was lower than that of the whole or skim milk. Fermentation of milk by lactic cultures decreased the total lysine (except butter milk) and methionine contents of all the samples. Since these two amino acids are limiting amino acids in protein malnourished areas, lactic fermentation of milk may be undesirable based on the chemical scores of the protein. However, the free amino acid content, including that of lysine and methionine, increases significantly upon lactic fermentation of milk. This predigestion of protein might result in an increased availability of the amino acids to offset the reduction in amino acids during fermentation and may even result in a better quality protein. Biological evaluation of the fermented milk proteins is necessary to evaluate their nutritional quality. L. bulgaricus was the most proteolytic of all the organisms used.