The Role of Probiotic Bacteria on Microbiological and Acceptability of Sudanese White Soft Cheese

The objectives of this investigation is to study the effect of three types of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacilus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum) on the microbiological and acceptability of Sudanese white soft cheese during storage period 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 days. Microbiological analysis revealed that, the highest count of probiotic bacteria (87x108cfu/g) was obtained by sample containing L.rhamnosus and the lowest (39x106 cfu/g) by sample containing B.bifidum, while the sample containing L.casei ranked in intermediate position. Storage period affected the total probiotic bacteria count, the highest count at 2 weeks for L.casei and B.bfidum and after 4 weeks for L.rhamnosus, while the lowest at the end. The microbial analysis did not detect any pathogenic bacteria (coliform bacteria, salmonella and staphylococcus aureus) or yeast and molds. The sensory evaluation quality revealed that the cheese containing L.rhamnosus gave the best appearance, texture, flavour and overall acceptability, followed by L.casei and B.bifidum compared with the control samples. The storage period significantly (p≤0.05) affected the acceptability of the cheese, where the highest score was obtained at day 30 and the lowest at the beginning of the storage. The study recommends further studies and tests to improve the quality of the Sudanese white soft cheese treated by probiotic bacteria.