On Some Aspects of a New Fermented Milk Product Medina

ABSTRACT

Honey as a valuable biological food has had a lasting presence in human diet since the remotest antiquity. Bulgarian researchers have found a significant bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect on conditionally pathogenic and pathogenic microorganisms. Bulgarian yoghurt is another product whose per capita consumption ranks Bulgaria first in the world and which has made the country famous worldwide. The remarkable therapeutic and dietetic properties of L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus for human health have motivated a lasting research interest in the multi-faceted aspects of the application of Bulgarian yoghurt. The aim of the present study is to test the effect of different types of honey on the lactic acid bacteria of Bulgarian yoghurt. The product MEDINA was made in accordance with the classical technology for the production of Bulgarian yoghurt. In all repetitions of the consignments of fermented milk products MEDINA we found a considerable inhibition in the growth of L. bulgaricus compared to the control with sugar. At the present stage of the study it is relatively difficult to explain the relatively identical dimension of the inhibition zones at different concentrations of the monocultures, which is probably due to the effect of the hydrogen peroxide and of the glucoxidase activity of honey, which will be the target of subsequent research. In conclusion, it should be mentioned that irrespective of the inhibitory effect on L. bulgaricus, the total quantity of lactic acid bacteria, varying from 2.5 × 10⁹ to 2.5 × 10¹⁰, as well as the presence of honey, highlight the biological value of such a type of fermented milk products and their role for human dietetic and balanced nutrition.