the village of Maysky, Russian Federation
Maisky, Russian Federation
Belgorod, Belgorod, Russian Federation
Global lactase deficiency and the trend toward lower consumption of added sugars require new technologies for fermented dairy products with hydrolyzed lactose. Adding β-galactosidase to milk before pasteurization (pre-hydrolysis) or lactase with a starter culture after milk pasteurization (co-hydrolysis) provides complete or nearly complete hydrolysis of lactose in fermented dairy products. Two technological approaches, pre-hydrolysis and co-hydrolysis, were combined with the NOLA Fit 5500 β-galactosidase enzyme preparation. The authors studied their effect on the biochemical, rheological, and sensory profiles of model yogurt and kefir samples. Pre-hydrolysis provided a 91.7% lactose degradation rate for thermophilic yogurt starter cultures, accelerated the achievement of the target pH of 4.6 by 90 min, and formed a denser gel due to enhanced exopolysaccharide synthesis. Co-hydrolysis proved optimal for the symbiotic microflora of kefir: it achieved the highest hydrolysis rate of 92.2%, increased the waterholding capacity, and reduced syneresis by forming a hydrophilic polymer network around casein micelles. The rheological analysis confirmed that pre-hydrolysis increased the viscosity of the yogurt curd, while co-hydrolysis improved the stability of the kefir structure during storage. The sensory assessment revealed an improved flavor profile for the hydrolyzed samples: the natural sweetness of glucose and galactose significantly minimized the need for sucrose and other sweeteners. The enzyme addition stage proved to be a critical parameter determining the quality of lowlactose and lactose-free fermented beverages, opening opportunities for targeted modeling of their functional and technological profiles.
co-hydrolysis, pre-hydrolysis, β-galactosidase, fermentation, lactose, yogurt, kefir, exopolysaccharides
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