RESEARCH CONCERNING THE PRODUCTION OF A PROBIOTIC DAIRY PRODUCT WITH ADDED MEDICINAL PLANT EXTRACTS

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth of probiotic bacteria in milk supplemented with medicinal plant extracts, in order to fabricate a probiotic dairy product named CATINOLACT. This dairy product was obtained from cow milk, sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) and liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) extracts. The fermentation process was made at 42 degrees C, for 5 hours, using a lactic probiotic bacteria culture ABY 3 (Bifidobacterium species, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus). During incubation and storage the following parameters were determined: the titratable acidity, the pH, the lactose content, the water holding capacity and the number of lactic bacteria. It was observed that the CATINOLACT product had been preserving its functional properties during storage (1.10(8) - 1.10(9) CFU/mL probiotic bacteria).