Assessment of the Influence of Lactulose on the Titer of Viable Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Composition of a Functional Food Product

The article provides up-to-date information on the international classification of functional food products. The prospects for the development of food biotechnology, as one of the most important branches for modern Ukraine, aimed at creating prerequisites for improving the nation’s health by expanding the range of high-quality functional food products, are indicated. It has been established that scientific research on functional nutrition is aimed at maintaining health, improving well-being and creating conditions for reducing the risk of diseases, especially cardiovascular, as well as problems with the stomach and intestines. A special place among functional food products is occupied by probiotic food products, which as a physiologically functional food ingredient contain specially selected strains of useful for humans (non-pathogenic and non-toxicogenic) live microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on the human body. Today, the probiotic concept is the leading one in prescribing bacterial preparations for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases and disorders of the human body’s natural ecology. Functional food products containing probiotics occupy a special position between ordinary food products and medicinal products. An improved technological map of the production of "Brynza" type salted cheese has been developed, which consists of the main stages: milk collection and assessment of its quality; pasteurization of milk (at a temperature of 85°C); cooling of milk (to a temperature of 33°С); introduction of probiotic starter based on pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria (biopreparation of the trademark "Vivo"), which includes thermophilic lacto-, bifidobacteria and lactic streptococci; enrichment of raw materials with prebiotics introduction of lactulose in the amount of 5% relative to the total volume of milk; introduction of rennet (pepsin); cheese curd processing and cheese formation; pickles. The use of high-quality sourdough of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), an enzyme with the addition of lactulose in the amount of 5% relative to the volume of milk, contributed to the intensification of lactic coagulation activity, which is confirmed by a reduction in the time for the formation of cheese dough by 2 hours compared to the experimental samples without the addition of lactulose. There was an improvement in the structural and mechanical parameters of the finished product. All experimental samples of Brynza cheese were evaluated according to the DSTU 7065:2009. The highest titer of lactic acid bacteria is characteristic of cheese samples made with the introduction of high-quality sourdough and lactulose. At the same time, the LAB titer represented by the LAB cultures Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis depends on the cheese storage period (the highest LAB titer is noted for 1 day of storage). The maximum number of lactic acid bacteria in "Brynza" cheese on the 9th day of storage was recorded in the sample with the addition of lactulose, and is 408 CFU/ml, which indicates the expediency of its use.