Probiotic Mascarpone-type cheese: Characterisation and cell viability during storage and simulated gastrointestinal conditions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and the prebiotic inulin in a Mascarpone-type cheese on its physicochemical parameters during storage, as well as the protective effects of the matrix on the viability of the probiotics and their survival after exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The incorporation of the probiotic and inulin into the Mascarpone-type cheese affected specific physicochemical and textural properties. Viable cell counts remained above 6log cfu/g throughout the whole storage period and after the simulated gastrointestinal conditions, indicating the protective effect of the matrix of the Mascarpone-type cheese.