PROBIOTIC PROPERTIES OF BIFIDOBACTERIUM ANIMALIS SUBSP. LACTIS BB-12 IN CEREAL FLAKES ENRICHED WITH INULIN

Production of functional food supplemented with probiotic bifidobacteria is of growing interest because of the health-promoting effects in humans. In this study a novel probiotic product was prepared: cereal flakes enriched with inulin and a lyophilized probiotic culture of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, intended to be used as an infant formula. The influence of this food matrix on probiotic properties of B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 was examined. The tolerance to simulated gastric and small intestinal juices was much higher when the B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 probiotic culture was applied in combination with cereal flakes, inulin and skim milk with respect to the use of the pure lyophilized probiotic culture. Bile salt resistance and bile salt hydrolase activity (BSH) of B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 was also monitored in vitro. Furthermore, the influence of cereal flakes and inulin on the functional probiotic properties of B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 was examined in vivo in Swiss albino mice. The higher viable cell count of lactic acid bacteria and lower viable cell count of enterobacteria and sulphite-reducing clostridia in the large intestine of mice were observed after feeding the mice with the novel probiotic product compared to results obtained when mice were fed probiotic alone. The induction of serum IgA, IgG and IgM antibody production in Swiss albino mice by B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 was not influenced by the addition of cereal and inulin.