The addition of vegetable oils to the diets of dairy goats is an alternative to supplemental feeding during the dry period and improves the lipid profile of milk and by-products. Cheeses were produced using milk from cross bred goats (Saanen × Alpina) fed diets enriched with 4% vegetable oil (faveleira, sesame or castor), the fatty acid profile of cheeses was studied. Supplementation with vegetable oils did not increase the total fat percentage of the cheese (p ≥ 0.05) but did increase the percentage of CLA isomers, long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA); in addition, the index of desirable fatty acids (DFA - expressed as the sum of unsaturated fatty acids plus stearic acid) was increased for cheese made from milk from goats fed sesame or faveleira oil. Cheeses may have had increased percentages of cis-9,trans-11-CLA due to the supplementation of animal diets with vegetable oils rich in C18:2, such as faveleira and sesame oils. The fatty acid profile of goat cheese did not change significantly in response to the use of castor oil. Thus, the addition of sesame and faveleira oils to goat diets positively altered the fatty acid profile, which improved the nutritional characteristics of the fat present in goat cheese.

Goat milk is an attractive food because of its nutritional properties, easy digestibility and hypoallergenicity. Goat milk yogurt is an appropriate matrix for the inclusion of new ingredients such as probiotic cultures, fruit and its derivatives. Grapes are rich in polyphenols and recognized for their health benefits. The aim of this study was to improve the quality characteristics of probiotic goat milk yogurt by the addition of an Isabel grape (Vitis labrusca L.) preparation (IGP). For this, the influence of the addition of IGP on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of goat milk yogurt containing the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-05 was evaluated during 28 days of refrigerated storage (5 ± 0.5 °C). Four yogurt formulations were prepared, each varying in the added IGP amount, as follows: Y0 (not containing IGP), YG15 (containing 15 g per 100 mL of IGP), YG20 (containing 20 g per 100 mL of IGP), and YG25 (containing 25 g per 100 mL of IGP). All formulations showed probiotic counts ranging from 7 to 8 log CFU mL⁻¹ over the assessed storage period. The addition of 20 g per 100 mL of IGP affected positively the colour, viscosity, and sensory acceptance of the yogurt formulations. The production of goat milk yogurt containing L. acidophilus LA-05 and IGP is an option for developing a new goat dairy product with added value due to the inclusion of components with potential functional properties.

This study evaluated the protective effects of coproducts from agroindustrial processing of the tropical fruits acerola (Malpighia glabra L., ACE), cashew (Anacardium occidentale L., CAS), and guava (Psidium guayaba L., GUA) on the probiotics Lactobacillus paracasei L-10, Lactobacillus casei L-26, and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-05 during freeze-drying and storage. The occurrence of damage to membrane integrity, membrane potential, and efflux activity of Lactobacillus cells after freeze-drying was evaluated by flow cytometry, and viable counts were measured immediately after freeze-drying and during 90 days of storage under refrigerated or room temperature conditions. Probiotic strains freeze-dried without substrate had the overall highest count reductions (0.5 ± 0.1 to 2.9 ± 0.3 log cycles) after freeze-drying. Probiotics freeze-dried with fruit processing coproducts had small cell subpopulations with damaged efflux activity and membrane potential. Average counts of probiotics freeze-dried with ACE, CAS, or GUA after 90 days of storage under refrigerated or room temperature were in the range of 4.2 ± 0.1 to 5.3 ± 0.2 and 2.6 ± 0.3 to 4.9 ± 0.2 log CFU/g, respectively, which were higher than those observed for strains freeze-dried without substrate. The greatest protective effects on freeze-dried probiotics were overall presented by ACE. These results revealed that ACE, CAS, and GUA can exert protective effects and increase the stability of probiotic lactobacilli during freeze-drying and storage, in addition to supporting a possible added-value destination for these agroindustrial coproducts as vehicles for probiotics and for the development of novel functional foods.

The effects of the addition of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-05, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and inulin on the quality characteristics of creamy goat cheese during refrigerated storage were evaluated. The manufactured cheeses included the addition of starter culture (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris – R-704) (CC); starter culture, L. acidophilus LA-05 and inulin (CLA); starter culture, B. lactis BB-12 and inulin (CBB); or starter culture, L. acidophilus LA-05, B. lactis BB-12 and inulin (CLB). In the synbiotic cheeses (CLA, CBB and CLB), the counts of L. acidophilus LA-05 and B. lactis BB-12 were greater than 6log CFU g⁻¹, the amount of inulin was greater than 6 g per 100 g, and the firmness was reduced. The cheeses evaluated had high brightness values (L*), with a predominance of yellow (b*). CC had higher contents of proteins, lipids and minerals compared to the other cheeses. There was a decrease in the amount of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and an increase of medium-chain (MCFAs) and long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) in the synbiotic cheeses compared to CC. The amount of conjugated linoleic acid increased in CLA, CBB and CLB. The highest depth of proteolysis and the greatest changes in the release of free amino acids were found in CLB. The addition of inulin and probiotics, alone or in co-culture, did not affect the cheese acceptance. Inulin and probiotics can be used together for the production of creamy goat cheese without negatively affecting the general quality characteristics of the product, and to add value because of its synbiotic potential.

We evaluated the performance of Limosilactobacillus mucosae CNPC007 as an autochthonous adjunct culture in the production of goat milk Greek-style yogurt. The techno-functional, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of the control yogurt (containing only starter culture, CY) and the probiotic yogurt (with the probiotic strain added, PY) were assessed during 28 d of refrigerated storage. Furthermore, we determined the survival of the strain throughout the gastrointestinal tract under simulated conditions. The PY yogurt had a lower extent of proteolysis index and a higher depth of proteolysis index. These results indicate that the proteolytic enzymes of L. mucosae may have a possible action in PY. The PY formulation exhibited viscosity almost 1.5 times as high as CY over the refrigeration period, probably due to higher production of exopolysaccharides by the probiotic strain, which directly interferes with the microstructure, texture, and viscosity of the product. The PY formulation received higher scores for color, flavor, and global acceptance at 1 d of storage and higher texture scores at 28 d. The counts of L. mucosae remained high (>7 log cfu/g and >8.5 log cfu/g) throughout mouth-ileum digestion and storage, respectively, in PY. The autochthonous adjunct culture of L. mucosae CNPC007 can be used for production of a novel potentially probiotic goat yogurt without negatively affecting the general characteristics of the product quality, adding value associated with maintaining its functional potential.