Technological potential of Bifidobacterium aesculapii strains for fermented soymilk production

The present research was aimed to investigate the technological potentialities of seven strains of Bifidobacterium aesculapii, a species recently described, in terms of exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and as starter fermentation in soybean milk. The strain production of EPS was firstly evaluated in model system, using different carbon sources. Furthermore, the fermented products obtained by the seven strains of B. aesculapii were tested for their EPS content and strain cell loads, the volatile molecule profiles, the texture features and the overall acceptance. The data showed that all the B. aesculapii strains were able to produce EPS in vitro model in presence of 1.5% and 2% glucose while only four strains were able to produce EPS in presence of lactose 2%. When the strains were employed as fermentation starters in soybean milk, some showed a good growth potential, fermenting the substrate in 14 h and giving rise to fermented products with good firmness and viscosity indexes. Moreover, five strains out seven showed production of EPS (from 5 to 174 μg/mL) in soybean fermented milk.