Effects of Trehalose and Cheese-Derived Adjunct Cultures on Starter Culture Viability and Quality of Milk-Based Sour Cream

In this study, the microbiological, physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties of sour cream formulations produced with Lactiplantibacillus pentosus or Latilactobacillus curvatus together with a commercial yogurt culture, with or without trehalose, were evaluated. The CT (mixed culture + L. curvatus + trehalose) and PT (mixed culture + L. pentosus + trehalose) formulations showed higher VPI values for S. thermophilus and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus than C and P, respectively. In particular, the CT formulation had the highest VPI values for S. thermophilus and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. Total LAB counts represented the combined LAB population, as L. curvatus and L. pentosus were not enumerated separately. The increase in titratable acidity during storage was more limited in CT and PT than in C and P, respectively. During storage, L* values decreased in all samples, while firmness values increased; work of penetration values decreased, and resistance to probe withdrawal values increased. All samples maintained high sensory acceptability scores. PCA provided a descriptive visualization of the techno-quality profiles of the formulations during storage. Overall, the findings demonstrated formulation-dependent differences in starter culture viability, acidity, texture, and sensory properties among the sour cream samples; however, these differences should not be interpreted as evidence of a trehalose-specific effect.