Use of donkey's milk for a fermented beverage with lactobacilli

The possibility of producing a fermented beverage from donkey's milk using the probiotic bacterial strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus AT 194, CLT 2/2, and Lactobacillus casei LC 88, isolated from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese was investigated. The chemical-physical and microbiological properties of the raw milk demonstrated that it has a low microbiological load and an elevated content of lysozyme. The bacterial strains employed for fermentation had a good growth capacity in donkey's milk only after an initial adaptation phase. An extremely high percentage of viable bacteria were found in the final beverage, even after a 30-day shelf life. Likewise, the activity of lysozyme was virtually unchanged with respect to initial values. Sensorial analysis permitted the individuation of differences between the three bacterial strains used for fermentation in terms of descriptors relative to aromatic-olfactory qualities. Based on the above results, technology can be proposed for production of a fermented beverage from donkey's milk that can be utilized by small producers. This would allow the production of a beverage that would be well accepted by consumers interested in a product with favorable therapeutic properties integrated with probiotic bacteria.