Air incorporation during manufacturing is essential to
obtain the desired physico-chemical quality parameters
such as overrun in ice cream; however, excess oxygen
may affect the growth of microaerophilic Lactobacillus acidophilus
and anaerobic bifidobacteria (Kailasapathy and
Sultana, 2003), and thereby decrease the probiotic value
of the product. Oxygen permeation through the package
may also have an adverse affect on probiotic viability (Shah,
2000). Although significant packaging effects on probiotic
viability have been observed in some dairy products such as
yogurt (Dave and Shah, 1997), study of the influence of the
packaging materials on viability of probiotics in ice cream
has been limited to date.
Sensory changes in food products may result from
intended or unintended interactions with packaging materials
and from failure of materials to protect product
integrity or quality (Duncan et al., 2009). For example
Linssen et al. (1992) observed the absorption of aroma
compounds from flavored drink yogurts by high density
polyethylene packaging materials. Packaging materials can
also significantly influence the physico-chemical properties
of probiotic dairy foods such as acidity during storage
(Jayamanne and Adams, 2004). Such properties can directly
affect the quality and ultimately the consumer acceptability
of the product.
This paper examines the viability of L. acidophilus LA-
5, B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and the novel probiotic P.
jensenii 702 in ice cream made from goat’s milk, and evaluates
the physico-chemical and sensory properties when
the product is stored in different packaging materials in
order to assess the quality of goat’s milk probiotic ice cream
during storage.