Incorporation of bifidobacteria into cheeses: challenges and rewards

As the market for functional foods (i.e. foods that contain health-promoting components beyond traditional nutrients) continues to expand, research in the development of food products containing bifidobacteria and other probiotic bacteria will also continue to grow. Probiotic bacteria and bifidobacteria play an important role in gastro-intestinal therapy, but also provide many additional health-promoting benefits. Bifidobacteria require an anaerobic environment and neutral pH to survive and maintain levels greater than 10(6) cfug(-1) that is adjudged as the requirement to provide therapeutic benefits. Thus, not all foods provide the optimal environment for the growth of bifidobacteria. Cheese, however, does provide an environment that would be conducive to the long-term survival of bifidobacteria. Effective incorporation of bifidobacteria into cheeses requires that the bifidobacteria maintain their viability throughout processing, without adversely altering sensory characteristics. This review details technological advances shown to be effective in the incorporation of bifidobacteria into cheeses and techniques for the accurate enumeration of these bacteria. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.