Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Fermented food products containing probiotic strains and method for preparing same

Fermented food products containing probiotic strains and method for preparing same description/claims

The invention relates to fermented food products containing probiotic strains, and their preparation process.

The bifidobacteria belong to the dominant anaerobic flora in the colon. The main species present in the human colon are Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum ssp infantis, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium longum.

The bifidobacteria are probiotic bacteria of choice. Bacteria of the genus Bifidobacterium are used in numerous products currently on the market and are often added to dairy products already comprising the standard bacteria in yoghurt (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus).

The consumption of bifidobacteria is recognized as being beneficial in the process of re-establishing the normal bifidobacteria population in individuals having undergone antibiotics therapy. This consumption also seems to make it possible to reduce constipation, prevent diarrhea and reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Probiotics are live bacteria. The use of these live bacteria in the manufacture of food products such as dairy products is tricky in particular with regard to the problem of survival of these bacteria in the product.

80% of the products currently on the market which contain bifidobacteria do not satisfy the criteria making it possible to maintain that they significantly improve the intestinal transit of the individuals consuming them. A daily intake of at least 108 to 109 viable cells has been recommended as the minimum dose making it possible to have a therapeutic effect (Silva A. M., Barbosa F. H., Duarte R., Vieira L. Q., Arantes R. M., Nicoli J. R., Effect of Bifidobacterium longum ingestion on experimental salmonellosis in mice, J. Appl. Microbiol. 97 (2004) 29-37). The required dose can be dependent on the probiotic strain used.

In the case of the production of a bioactive food product containing bifidobacteria the problem therefore arises of obtaining a sufficient population of these bacteria in the product and maintaining it during the “life” of the product.

The problem of the numerical size of the population of probiotic strains in a fermented dairy product is a known problem (see in particular D. Roy, Technological aspects related to the use of bifidobacteria in dairy products, Lait 85 (2005) 39-56, INRA, EDP Sciences).

Several reasons for this problem have been suggested, including the reduction in the population during storage, the disturbed growth of these bacteria starting from a certain pH or quite simply the poor ability of these bifidobacteria to grow, in particular in milk.

The main purpose of the invention is to provide non-firm fermented food products containing a high population of bifidobacteria throughout the period of preservation of said fermented food products, i.e. non-firm fermented food products containing bifidobacteria in a good physiological state and having a significant survival rate during the period of preservation of said fermented food products, in particular until the use-by date of the products.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide preparation processes which are simple to implement, making it possible to obtain the above products.

Another purpose of the invention is to promote the growth of the bifidobacteria over the standard symbioses present in yoghurts, these symbioses being constituted in a standard fashion by one or more strains of Streptococcus thermophilus and of Lactobacillus bulgaricus.

The purposes of the invention are achieved thanks to the surprising finding made by the inventors that a precise regulation of a certain number of parameters involved in a standard fashion in the processes for the preparation of non-firm fermented food products makes it possible to obtain rapidly, after fermentation of the populations, at least 108 bifidobacteria per gram of product, and increased survival of the bifidobacteria up to the use-by date of the products, without necessarily modifying the growth of the other bacterial strains.

The invention relates to a non-firm fermented food product containing ferments, which contain lactic bacteria, comprising more than approximately 5·107, in particular more than approximately 108 bifidobacteria per gram of food product fermented for a preservation period of at least 30 days, in particular at least 35 days.

By “non-firm fermented food product” is meant a fermented food product which has undergone a stage of cutting of coagulum and/or smoothing during its preparation process prior to its packaging.

A firm fermented food product is a product which is packaged before the fermentation, the fermentation occurring in the packaging container. Thus, for a dairy product, the milk is seeded and directly packaged in pots where it ferments. After the seeding, the seeded milk is packaged in pots. These pots are generally placed in an oven for 3 hours. The bacteria reproduce and consume the lactose which is then partially converted to lactic acid which modifies the structure of the proteins, forming what is known as a lactic gel. Then, the products are placed in a ventilated cooler or cooling tunnel and stored at approximately 4° C.

Examples of non-firm fermented food products are: stirred yoghurts or drinking yoghurts.

By “ferments” is meant a set of bacteria, in particular bacteria intended for to fermentation and/or bacteria with probiotic value.

The preservation or storage period of the fermented food product is the period which immediately follows the end of the process of preparation of the fermented food product and its packaging. During this preservation period the fermented food product is usually preserved at a temperature comprised between approximately 4 and approximately 10° C.

The abovementioned fermented food product contains more than approximately 5·107, in particular more than approximately 108 bifidobacteria per gram of fermented food product in particular for a preservation period of at least 35 days, and more particularly for a preservation period of at least 40 days. More particularly the abovementioned fermented food product contains more than approximately 5·107, in particular more than approximately 108 bifidobacteria per gram of fermented food product up to the use-by date of the product.

The use-by dates depend on the legal preservation periods fixed by current legislation, which can typically vary from 15 to 50 days from the date of production. By way of example, the legal preservation period is generally 30 days for fresh dairy products.

A population of bifidobacteria which is greater than or equal to 108 CFU/g at the use-by date of product preserved between 4 and 10° C. can be considered as a sufficient population of bifidobacteria given the medical recommendations relating to the provision of bifidobacteria in food.

The invention relates more particularly to the fermented food product as defined above, in which the ratio of the number of bifidobacteria contained in the fermented food product at the end of the preservation period to the number of bifidobacteria contained in the fermented food product at the start of the preservation period of at least 30 days, in particular at least 35 days, is approximately 0.2 to approximately 0.8, in particular approximately 0.3 to approximately 0.7, in particular approximately 0.4 to approximately 0.5.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws