Production of probiotic ice cream from goat's milk and effect of packaging materials on product quality

A chocolate flavored probiotic ice cream was made from goat's milk using a probiotic bacterial culture comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, and novel probiotic Propionibacterium jensenii 702, and stored in three different packaging materials: polypropylene, polyethylene and glass. In order to assess the quality of the product, viability of the probiotic bacteria, the physico-chemical properties and sensory characteristics of the product in the different packaging materials were measured during storage. The freezing process during manufacturing of the ice cream was associated with a reduction in viable cell number, however the viable numbers of all probiotics remained 107 to 108 cfu g−1 up to 52 weeks at −20 °C regardless of the type of packaging. Packaging materials had a significant influence on the complete melting time of ice cream, and with the melting quality of the product as identified by the tasting panel, one week after production. The influence of packaging was not apparent in relation to other physico-chemical properties and sensory attributes of the product, while variation in certain sensory properties such as body and texture and taste of the product was apparent after 12 weeks storage.