TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hernández-Figueroa, Ricardo H.
AU  - López-Malo, Aurelio
AU  - Mani-López, Emma
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/04
TI  - Probiotic Cottage Cheese Formulated with <i>Lactobacillus acidophilus</i> LA-5: Microbial Viability, Acidification Kinetics, and Consumer Acceptance
JO  - Recent Progress in Nutrition
SP  - 020
VL  - 06
IS  - 03
AB  - Cottage cheese is a promising matrix for delivering probiotic microorganisms due to its buffering capacity, high moisture content, and consumer acceptance. In this study, a probiotic cottage cheese incorporating Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 was developed and evaluated against a control formulation and commercial products. Physicochemical properties, probiotic viability, acidification kinetics, and sensory acceptance were assessed during refrigerated storage. The formulation consistently maintains viable probiotic counts above 108 CFU/g for 24 days, meeting the minimum threshold for health benefits. Although gradual post-acidification was observed, changes in pH (a decrease ≈ of 0.79 pH units) and titratable acidity (from 0.32 to 0.46%) did not significantly compromise probiotic survival, indicating a protective effect of the cheese matrix. Sensory evaluation, including triangular discrimination and hedonic testing, demonstrated that incorporating probiotics did not significantly affect consumer perception (p > 0.05), with overall acceptability scores (7.20) comparable to those of the control (7.45) and commercial cheeses (6.95-7.45). These findings highlight cottage cheese’s potential as an effective probiotic carrier, delivering microbial doses while maintaining sensory and technological qualities. This study supports the development of functional dairy foods as alternatives to dietary supplements for gut health and well-being.
SN  - 2771-9871
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/rpn.2603020
DO  - 10.21926/rpn.2603020
ID  - Hernández-Figueroa2026
ER  -