Studies on the Development of Probiotic Buttermilk

Abstract

Butter is made by churning cream which separates the cream into butter solids and buttermilk. So in the simplest terms, buttermilk is the slightly sour liquid byproduct of butter making. As most cream is left to sour for 8 hours prior to butter making, buttermilk is often considered a ‘fermented’ or ‘cultured’ dairy product. Probiotics are the type of bacteria that are effective in helping and maintaining the nature’s balance for gut microflora. According to WHO guidelines probiotics defined as ‘live organism’ which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. The term buttermilk also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks. This buttermilk is produced from cow's milk and has a characteristically sour taste caused by lactic acid bacteria. This variant is made using one of two species of bacteria—either Lactococcus lactis or Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which creates more tartness. The tartness of buttermilk is due to acid in the milk. This process makes buttermilk thicker than plain milk. While both traditional and cultured buttermilk contain lactic acid, traditional buttermilk tends to be less viscous, whereas cultured buttermilk is more viscous.