Combination of Prebiotic Inulin and Probiotics intervention on the Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Sensory Properties of an Innovative Synbiotic Ras Cheese

Inulin is classified as a prebiotic since it possesses functional health-promoting and industrial processing capabilities in dairy and non-dairy products. The study aims to incorporate inulin as a fat substitute with probiotics to improve the physicochemical, sensory, and microbiological properties of synbiotic Ras cheese during 90 days of ripening. Five Ras cheese formulations were investigated, including full-fat control 1 (FFCC) and low-fat control 2 (LFCC), as well as three formulas supplemented with 1 %, 3 %, and 5 % inulin (LFC1, LFC3, LFC5), respectively. As a result of the inulin addition, significant changes (P < 0.05) occurred in the textural profile, cheese yield, probiotic population, and sensory assessment. The addition of probiotic culture produced a synbiotic low Ras cheese with excellent sensory properties. It was discovered that LFT3 has the highest overall score of 76.64±2.49 points, while LFCC has the lowest overall score of 60.94±1.35 points. Surprisingly, Ras cheese supplemented with 3 % or 5 % inulin exhibited the equivalent mouth feel and texture characteristics as full-fat cheese. As recommended, combining probiotic culture and inulin is an innovative technique for improving low-fat cheese quality, health benefits, and low manufacturing costs.