Effect of lactic acid bacteria on the properties of cultured dairy cream during storage

• Cultured cream produced with Lb. fermentum M240-4 showed higher ash and protein contents. • Lb. fermentum M240-4 (single strain) and the combination of Lb. fermentum M240-4 and Str. thermophilus M540-5 (mixed strain) yielded cream with improved sensory properties, like flavor, mouthfeel, and overall score. • After 7 days of storage, mixed culture Lb. fermentum M240-4 and Str. thermophilus M540-5 exhibited higher probiotic viability, acidity, and water-holding capacity with lower pH and syneresis, indicating enhanced stability and shelf life. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains on the nutritional, physicochemical, microbiological and sensorial properties and storage stability of cultured cream. The cultured cream was prepared through fermentation of pasteurized cream using different LAB strains. The treatments prepared in the current study were T 0 (pasteurized cream-control group), T 1 (cream fermented with Lactobacillus (Lb.) fermentum M240-4), T 2 (cream fermented with Streptococcus (Str.) thermophilus M540-5), and T 3 (cream fermented with Lb. fermentum and Str. thermophilus in a ratio of 1:1). The cream samples were stored at 4°C for up to 7 days, and analyses were conducted on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 to assess the physico-chemical properties – pH, acidity, water holding capacity, syneresis, and microbiological properties – including total viable count, and lactic acid bacteria count. Panel experts accepted the single strain (T 1 ) and the combined cultured cream (T 3 ) due to its pleasant flavor and mouthfeel, whereas cream fermented with Lb. fermentum had significantly ( p <0.05) higher levels of ash content. At day-1, all cultured cream had greater acidity and lesser pH, but T 3 exhibited higher acidity 0.52% and lower pH 4.90. During the storage period, in T 3 , total viable and LAB counts showed better growth up to 7.87 CFU mL -1 . Increasing the storage period followed by a gradual decline in growth, which led to a slight decrease in water holding capacity (75.93 to 70.94%) and an increase in syneresis (12.33 to 14.89%) in T 3 cream. The study highlighted that a combination of Lb. fermentum and Str. thermophilus was found to be more suitable for the preparation of cultured cream due to its better water-holding, syneresis properties, viable bacteria growth, and consumer acceptability.