Physicochemical, textural and volatile characteristics of fermented milk co‐cultured with Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium animalis or Lactobacillus plantarum

Summary Fermented milks were prepared with various culture combinations of Lactobacillus plantarum or Bifidobacterium animalis with Streptococcus thermophilus, and the impact of microbes combinations on acidification, proteolysis, lipolysis, texture, volatiles and sensory quality of fermented milk was investigated during 21‐day storage at 4 °C. The results showed that products from the co‐cultures displayed higher titratable acidity, more peptides, higher proteolytic activity and lipolysis capacity compared with that from the pure strains of S. thermophilus. When L. plantarum and B. animalis combined in a ratio of 2:1 with S. thermophilus, the products maintained relatively more viable cell counts of the 3 strains, strong proteolysis ability and lipolysis capacity during the storage. Milk fermented by co‐cultures of the 3 strains exhibited higher cohesiveness, more volatiles and better sensory quality compared with these fermented by S. thermophilus only or in co‐cultures with either B. animalis or L. plantarum based on principal component analysis.