Effects of fermenting with Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG on quality attributes and storage stability of buffalo milk yogurt incorporated with bael (Aegle marmelos) fruit pulp

BackgroundProducing functional food by adding fruits or fruit pulps have attracted great attention. Simultaneously, buffalo milk is gaining an increasing demand as an alternative to cow milk. Thus, value addition and diversification of buffalo milk products have gained much commercial and research interest. Hence, we aimed to investigate the potentials of developing and characterizing probiotic enriched buffalo milk yogurts with bael fruit pulp using exopolysaccharides producing probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG).MethodsFour types of buffalo milk yogurts were tested, e.g. fermenting with the yogurt starter culture only (e.g., control) and fermenting with the combination of yogurt starter culture and LGG with varying levels (w/v) of bael fruit pulp incorporations, i.e., 0%, 5% and 10%. Variation in pH, syneresis, hardness, probiotic viability and sensory attributes during 21 days of storage in 4 °C were assessed for all treatments.ResultsFermenting with LGG had a positive effect on post-acidification and syneresis rate compared to the control yogurt. Bael incorporation did not affect the post-acidification, but significantly decreased the level of syneresis at the end of storage. All probiotic formulations maintained LGG counts of >107 CFU/mL and the highest counts were observed in 5% (w/v) bael incorporated yogurt.ConclusionsResults confirmed the possibility of using buffalo milk yogurt as an ideal matrix to deliver LGG with promising probiotic capacity. The use of 5% bael incorporation provides an optimal combination for synbiotic product development

Added dietary cobalt or vitamin B12, or injecting vitamin B12 does not improve performance or indicators of ketosis in pre- and post-partum Holstein-Friesian dairy cows

Vitamin B12 is synthesised in the rumen from cobalt and has a major role in metabolism in the peripaturient period, although few studies have evaluated the effect of the dietary inclusion of cobalt (Co), vitamin B12 or injecting vitamin B12 on the metabolism, health and performance of high yielding dairy cows. Fifty-six Holstein-Friesian dairy cows received one of four treatments from 8 weeks prior to calving to 8 weeks post calving: C, no added Co; DC, additional 0.2 mg Co/kg DM; DB, additional 0.68 mg vitamin B12/kg DM; IB, intra-muscular injection of vitamin B12 to supply 0.71 mg/cow/day pre-partum and 1.42 mg/cow/day post-partum. The basal and lactation rations both contained 0.21 mg Co/kg DM. Cows were weighed and condition scored at drying off, 4 weeks prior to calving, within 24 h of calving and at 2, 4 and 8 weeks post-calving, with blood samples collected at drying off, 2 weeks pre-calving, calving and 2, 4 and 8 weeks post-calving. Liver biopsy samples were collected from all animals at drying off and 4 weeks post-calving. Live weight changed with time, but there was no effect of treatment (P>0.05), whereas cows receiving IB had the lowest mean body condition score and DB the highest (P0.05) with mean values of 21.6 kg/day, 39.6 kg/day and 40.4 g/kg respectively. Cows receiving IB had a higher plasma vitamin B12 concentration than those receiving any of the other treatments (P0.05) of treatment on homocysteine or succinate concentrations, although mean plasma methylmalonic acid concentrations were lower (P=0.019) for cows receiving IB than for Control cows. Plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations increased sharply at calving followed by a decline, but there was no effect of treatment. Similarly, there was no effect (P>0.05) of treatment on plasma non-esterified fatty acids or glucose. Whole tract digestibility of DM and fibre measured at week 7 of lactation were similar between treatments, and there was little effect of treatment on the milk fatty acid profile except for C15:0, which was lower in cows receiving DC than IB (P<0.05). It is concluded that a basal dietary concentration of 0.21 mg Co/kg DM is sufficient to meet the requirements of high yielding dairy cows during the transition period, and there is little benefit from additional Co or vitamin B12

Effects of fermenting with Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG on quality attributes and storage stability of buffalo milk yogurt incorporated with bael (Aegle marmelos) fruit pulp

Background: Producing functional food by adding fruits or fruit pulps have attracted great attention. Simultaneously, buffalo milk is gaining an increasing demand as an alternative to cow milk. Thus, value addition and diversification of buffalo milk products have gained much commercial and research interest. Hence, we aimed to investigate the potentials of developing and characterizing probiotic enriched buffalo milk yogurts with bael fruit pulp using exopolysaccharides producing probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG). Methods: Four types of buffalo milk yogurts were tested, e.g. fermenting with the yogurt starter culture only (e.g., control) and fermenting with the combination of yogurt starter culture and LGG with varying levels (w/v) of bael fruit pulp incorporations, i.e., 0%, 5% and 10%. Variation in pH, syneresis, hardness, probiotic viability and sensory attributes during 21 days of storage in 4 °C were assessed for all treatments. Results: Fermenting with LGG had a positive effect on post-acidification and syneresis rate compared to the control yogurt. Bael incorporation did not affect the post-acidification, but significantly decreased the level of syneresis at the end of storage. All probiotic formulations maintained LGG counts of >107 CFU/mL and the highest counts were observed in 5% (w/v) bael incorporated yogurt. Conclusions: Results confirmed the possibility of using buffalo milk yogurt as an ideal matrix to deliver LGG with promising probiotic capacity. The use of 5% bael incorporation provides an optimal combination for synbiotic product development