Viability of probiotic bacteria in fermented skim milk produced with different levels of milk powder and sugar

In this work, the effect of skim milk powder (0, 5%, 10%, 15% w/v) and sugar (0%, 10% w/v) on the viability of probiotic micro‐organisms and on the quality of fermented milks was investigated. Fermented milks were submitted to physicochemical, microbiological and sensory analyses on the 1st, 10th and 21st days after production. Sugar inclusion did not affect the probiotic growth in fermented milks, but milk powder levels of 10–15% influenced positively the probiotic counts, which were above six log colony‐forming units (cfu)/g. These findings can be useful for small dairy industries that are interested in producing flavoured fermented milks without decreasing the viability of probiotic micro‐organisms during its shelf life.