The present invention relates to a bacterial cell with texturizing property, starter cultures comprising the cell, and dairy products fermented with the starter culture.

The dairy industry today faces a problem of providing an alternative to adding sweeteners to fermented milk products in order to achieve the desired sweet taste without the added calories. Furthermore, it would be highly advantageous to establish a method for reducing lactose in fermented milk products to a level which is acceptable for lactose-intolerant consumers. The above problems have been solved by providing mutant Streptococcus thermophilus strains and mutant Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains that excrete glucose to the milk when the milk is inoculated and fermented with such Streptococcus thermophilus strains and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus strains. Thus, the present invention relates to strains of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus which secrete glucose to the milk substrate during fermentation, as well as to mixed cultures comprising the Streptococcus thermophilus strains and the Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp, bulgaricus strains, starter cultures comprising the strains and dairy products manufactured with the cultures. The present method also relates to use of the strains for decreasing the lactose content of a fermented food product and for boosting growth of the probiotic BB-12.

The present invention is in the field of dairy technology. It relates to methods for producing fermented milk products such that the sourness of said product is prevented during its shelf life.

The invention provides Streptococcus thermophilus mutants, such as DSM22933, which have improved texturizing properties. The strains have: (i) a mutation in the branched chain amino acid transport ATP-binding protein LivG (TC 3.A.1.4.1) gene; (ii) a mutation in the ABC transporter permease protein gene; and/or (iii) a mutation in the peptide deformylase protein gene. The invention, furthermore, relates to compositions, such as a starter culture, comprising one or more of these mutants, to fermented products made using these mutants and to the use of the mutants and compositions of the invention.

The present invention relates to a fermented milk product with improved gel strength and/or serum viscosity.

The present invention relates to a bacterial cell with texturizing property, starter cultures comprising the cell, and dairy products fermented with the starter culture.

The present disclosure provides a method for preparing concentrated high-protein yogurt before fermentation, belonging to the technical field of dairy product processing. The method for preparing the concentrated high-protein yogurt before fermentation in the present disclosure includes: enabling a high-protein base material with a decalcification rate of 21.8-44.2% to be subjected to heat treatment at pH of 6.6-6.8 and temperature of 80-95 C. for 10-30 min; after that, cooling to 40-45 C., adding 0.05-0.2% (w/w) of a starter, and carrying out high end-point pH fermentation at 40-45 C. until the pH drops to 4.8-5.0; and then, performing low-temperature after-ripening to obtain the high-protein yogurt. Compared with high-protein yogurt prepared by a whey discharge process after fermentation, the concentrated high-protein yogurt prepared according to the present disclosure has similar or better soft texture, delicate taste, water holding capacity and digestibility, and is higher in calcium content.

The present invention relates to mutants of lactic acid bacteria which are resistant towards the antibiotic D-cycloserine and/or functionally equivalent antibiotics and which were found to give an increased texture when grown in milk while maintaining the other growth properties of the parent strain. The present invention, furthermore, relates to compositions comprising such mutants, and to dairy products fermented with the lactic acid bacteria resistant towards D-cycloserine and/or functionally equivalent antibiotics.

The present invention provides a method for improving acid tolerance of a lactic acid bacterium, including a step of artificially inhibiting a function of a kup gene of the lactic acid bacterium.

The dairy industry today faces a problem of providing an alternative to adding sweeteners to fermented milk products in order to achieve the desired sweet taste without the added calories. Furthermore, it would be highly advantageous to establish a method for reducing lactose in fermented milk products to a level which is acceptable for lactose-intolerant consumers. The above problems have been solved by providing mutant Streptococcus thermophilus strains and mutant Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains that excrete glucose to the milk when the milk is inoculated and fermented with such Streptococcus thermophilus strains and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains.

Thus, the present invention relates to strains of Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus which secrete glucose to the milk substrate during fermentation, as well as to mixed cultures comprising the Streptococcus thermophilus strains and the Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains, starter cultures comprising the strains and dairy products manufactured with the cultures. The present method also relates to use of the strains for decreasing the lactose content of a fermented food product and for boosting growth of the probiotic BB-12.