Vol. 7, Issue 3, Part B (2025)

In the current investigation, fermented milk, Dahi was prepared using indigenous probiotic strain Lb. rhamnosus Fb JX406746 culture which was previously freeze dried in a mixture of skim milk (10%) with glycerol (2%) (designated as SG) or skim milk (10%) with chocolate (2%) (designated as SC) as cryoprotective agents. The prepared Dahi was stored for 15 days at refrigeration temperature and evaluated periodically for chemical, sensory and micrbiologicalcal parameters. During the storage study of 15 days, overall acceptability score was retained above 6on 9-point hedonic scale, however it decreased from 8.19 to 6.75 and 7.89 to 7.16 for SC & SG, respectively. This was mainly attributed to the changes in flavor and body & texture scores. The viable count was non-significantly decreased during storage period. Initially, product had 9.11 log₁₀ CFU/g (SC) and 9.16 log₁₀ CFU/g (SG) of culture, while at the end of storage it had 9.06 log₁₀ (SC) CFU/gm and 9.11 log₁₀ CFU/g (SG). The titratable acidity of product rose from 0.65 to 0.1.02% and 0.68 to 1.04% L.A. for SC and SG Dahi samples, respectively. The product was found to be free from yeast & mold and coliform count throughout the storage period. Results establish the fact of effective use of freeze-dried culture of indigenous probiotic Lb. rhamnosus Fb JX406746 to develop an organoleptically acceptable fermented milk like Dahi.