Determining some of the quality characteristics of probiotic yogurts manufactured by using microencapsulated Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii

Abstract

Probiotics can be defined as living microorganisms that positively contribute to human health by regulating the intestinalflora of a host and stimulating the immune system. As stated in many studies carried out in recent years, probiotic microorganisms areknown to be very useful for human health. Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii is the only probiotic yeast that has been patented. Inthis study, it was aimed to determine the physical, rheological, chemical, and microbiological quality parameters of probiotic yogurtsmanufactured using this yeast microencapsulated via extrusion method during storage. Black cherry jam was used in order to enrichthe sensory properties of products and the products were stored for 21 days. Microbiological characteristics such as total mesophilicaerobic bacteria, total coliform, total lactic acid bacteria, total yeast-mold, and viability of the S. boulardii were determined by analyzingthe samples. We also investigated sensory properties such as external appearance, consistency (with spoon and by mouth), odor, flavor,and overall acceptability throughout the storage to evaluate the acceptability of the product by consumers.