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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Novel Production Protocol for Small-scale Manufacture of Probiotic Fermented Foods
Published on: September 10, 2016
Probiotic-driven modifications in structural properties enhance protein digestibility and amino acid availability in
Caiziyu Yu1,2, Shusen Li3,4, Xiyu Qin1,2
1College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
None:
Probiotic fortification can remodel yogurt gel matrix, thereby modulating protein digestion and absorption, yet precise mechanisms and strain-specific effects remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, yogurts added with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis MN-Gup (MN-Gup) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 (BB-12) were compared with a non-probiotic yogurt (Ctrl) to elucidate structure-digestion-absorption relationships. Both probiotic yogurts increased amino acid levels in post-meal plasma. The addition of probiotics reduced the gel strength of yogurt and resulted in a more porous and loose microstructure. Consequently, probiotic yogurt exhibited accelerated protein hydrolysis, greater release of low-molecular peptides (<1000 Da), and an increase in free amino acids during digestion. MN-Gup typically showed stronger effects in protein hydrolysis and amino acid utilization compared to BB-12. These findings demonstrate that specific Bifidobacterium strains reshape the yogurt gel structure to improve protein digestibility and postprandial amino acid absorption, providing a theoretical basis for the development of functional probiotic yogurt.
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