The use of the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii in dairy production

Probiotički mliječni proizvodi, posebice fermentirana mlijeka skupina su funkcionalne hrane koji osim nutritivne vrijednosti sadrže i specifične komponente koje se smatraju promotorima zdravlja. Na tržištu, najpoznatija fermentirana mlijeka iz skupine funkcionalne hrane su: acidofilno mlijeko, biojogurt, AB kultura kefir, Yakult, Mil-Mil, kumis, acidofilno- kvaščevo mlijeko, Miru-Miru i acidofilin. Za njihovu proizvodnju koriste se uglavnom bakterijski probiotički sojevi Lactobacillus spp. i Bifidobacterium spp. Od kvasaca, u proizvodnji kefira i kumisa koristi se i kvasac Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Bioterapijski učinak kvasaca Saccharomyces boulardii, uz bakterijski probiotički soj Lactobacillus rhamnosus na humani organizam u tretiranju različitih probavnih poremećaja najviše je znanstveno istražen. Kvasac Saccharomyces boulardii smatra se i potencijalnim prirodnim konzervansom zbog svog antagonističkog djelovanja prema drugim mikroorganizmima poput na bakterije Clostridium difficile i Escherichia coli. Sposobnost preživljavanja kvasca Saccharomyces boulardii i njegov učinak na organoleptička svojstva istraženi su u proizvodnji jogurta od kravljeg i kozjeg mlijeka, kefira, steriliziranog mlijeka, acidofilnog-kvaščevog mlijeka i sladoleda. Kvasac Saccharomyces boulardii u proizvodnji tih vrsta mliječnih proizvoda korišten je u formi dopunske kulture. Provedenim istraživanjima, utvrđeno je da kvasac Saccharomyces boulardii, osim u proizvodnji kozjeg jogurta, pokazuje s kompetitivnim mikrobnim vrstama iz sastava kultura dobru sposobnost preživljavanja. Osim u kozjem jogurtu, njegova brojnost na kraju vijeka održivosti u tim istraživanim mliječnim proizvoda bila je veća od 106 cfu/mL/g. Zbog toga i znanstveno potvrđenog bioterapijskog učinka kvasca Saccharomyces boulardii na humani organizam ti se proizvodi mogu smatrati i novim funkcionalnim mliječnim proizvodima. Unatoč tome, korištenje kvasca S. boulardii u mljekarskoj industriji još uvijek nije u širokoj primjeni.Probiotic dairy products, particularly, fermented milks, are a part of a group of foods with specific health promoting components added to its nutritional value, known as Functional food. The most recognizable, marketed functional probiotic dairy products are Acidophilus milk, Bioyogurt, AB Culture (L. acidophilus + bifidobacteria), Kefyr, Yakult, Mil- Mil, Koumiss, Acidophilus – Yeast milk, Miru – Miru and Acidophilin. These products are mostly produced with bacterial fermentation by Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. In the production of Kefyr and Koumiss the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used. The Saccharomyces boulardii yeast and the probiotic strain of the Lactobacillus rhamnosus bacteria bio-therapeutic effect on the human organism and its digestive disorders is the most widely, scientifically researched area of application. The Saccharomyces boulardii yeast is also considered as a potential natural food preservative due to its antagonistic behaviour towards other microorganisms such as the Clostridium difficile and Escherichia coli bacteria. The survival rate of Saccharomyces boulardii and its effect on organoleptic quality has been tested in the production of Cow and Goat Milk Yogurt, Kefyr, sterilised milk, Acidophilus- Yeast Milk and Ice Cream. The yeast has been used in the form of a complementary culture for the production of these products. It was shown that the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii has good survival rates competitive microorganism species in specific product cultures, excluding survival in Goat Milk Yogurt. With the exception of Goat Milk Yogurt, the number of surviving microorganisms at the end of the dairy products shelf-life was exceeding 106 cfu/mL/g. Given this research and Saccharomyces boulardii scientifically proven bio-therapeutic effect on the human organism, these products can be considered as new functional dairy products. Despite these facts, Saccharomyces boulardii is still not widely used in the dairy industry