Probiotic donkey milk drinks: Technology, Sensory Evaluation and Consumer Acceptance

: Donkey milk is a promising substrate for functional fermented dairy products, although its probiotic fermentation remains insufficiently characterised. This study evaluated the fermentation performance of five commercial probiotic strains in donkey milk, alone or in combination with Streptococcus thermophilus ST-BODY3 and inulin. Fermentation kinetics, organic acid production, sensory properties, and probiotic viability during 21 d of refrigerated storage were evaluated. All strains reached populations exceeding 6 log CFU mL-1. Co-culture with S. thermophilus accelerated acidification and shortened fermentation, whereas Bifidobacterium animalis subsp . lactis BB-12 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 showed comparatively poor performance . Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp . paracasei CASEI 431 remained highly viable, while Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 benefited from co-culture and inulin. Lactic acid predominated, particularly in inulin-supplemented co-cultures. Sensory evaluation revealed strain-dependent differences. The R0052 + S. thermophilus + inulin formulation achieved the highest consumer acceptance and purchase intention, supporting its potential as a novel fermented donkey milk beverage.