Abstract
Nowadays, food companies are endeavoring to differentiate their products through creative segmentation and positioning strategies based on superior functionality and quality. Some kinds of dairy desserts have shown a great market potential, as a function of consumers interested in healthier and functional products with fine taste and mouthfeel. In this context, chilled dairy desserts are emerging as attractive options for the incorporation of probiotic cultures and prebiotic ingredients, as seen in the previous launches from the food industry, as well as in the growing number of scientific studies dealing with this subject published in the last years. The main aspects involved in the development of probiotic and/or prebiotic dairy desserts for storage under refrigerated conditions are presented in this review.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (FUNCAP), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for financial support and fellowships. The authors also want to thank Adriano Gomes da Cruz for his suggestions during the preliminary preparation of this review.