Development of a Fermented Milk Designed for Women's Well-Being Containing an Exopolysaccharides-Producing Starter Culture and a Functional Vaginal Strain

Background: A wide piece of literature indicates that fermented milks represent excellent carriers for probiotic bacteria. Literature data clearly indicate that functional foods could differently affect human health in relation to gender. However, in the past years, results obtained in men have been directly translated to women, both in medicine and nutrition fields, neglecting research on the female gender. The aim of the FUNPRO-L project is to develop a functional fermented milk tailored for women's well-being designed to be good, from a sensory perspective, but also healthy and functional since made with exopolysaccharides (EPS)-producing LAB, as starter culture (Lyofast ST440, Sacco), and vaginal probiotics (Lactobacillus crispatus BC1, BC4 and BC5, Lactobacillus gasseri BC9 and BC12), previously characterized for their anti-Candida and anti-pathogenic activity. Methods: Fermentations were performed using 1U of starter in combination with the 5 different vaginal probiotics inoculated at 7 and 8 Log CFU/ml. pH, starter culture and probiotics counts (using M17 and MRS agar at 45 and 37 °C for 48 h, respectively) were evaluated after 0 and 28 days of storage at 6 °C. Fermentations were repeated only with the starter culture and L. crispatus strains and characterized for protein profile, EPS content, water holding capacity, rheological properties, and volatile molecule profiles, as well as microbial viability and antimicrobial potential towards enteric and urogenital pathogens during the product shelf-life. Results: Vaginal probiotic imparted strain-specific traits to the final products for what concerns volatile molecule profile, WHC, rehological characteristics, and antimicrobial potential. Strains BC5 and BC1 represented the most promising ones to develop functional fermented milk designed for women's well-being. Conclusions: Data allowed to select a final formulation to produce a functional fermented milk that will be produced at industrial scale and tested in a clinical trial on women.