Probiotic butter: Stability, free fatty acid composition and some quality parameters during refrigerated storage

This study was carried out to determine whether butter can be a carrier for probiotics by observing the survivability of selected probiotic strains during cold storage. The effects of using probiotic adjunct cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 29521) in butter on microbiological counts, sensory characteristics, chemical characteristics and free fatty acid (FFA) composition during storage for 60 days were investigated. The butter samples produced with B. bifidum ATCC 29521 maintained the probiotic characteristics, in that the level of viable cells of the probiotic was >106 cfu g-1 until 30 days of storage. The highest scores in sensory assessment were obtained on the first day of storage. FFAs, including C2:0, C6:0, C14:0 and C18:1, were affected significantly by storage period and by the adjunct cultures, however conjugated linoleic acid and C18:2 were not affected by storage period and the use of probiotic adjunct culture.