Lactic acid bacteria
starters are used for many fermented milk products. However, these starters are
imported as freeze-dried products from Europe and the U.S., and are expensive
and of limited variety. In this study, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus
and, Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, both frequently used in the
production of dairy products, were dehydrated using a fluidized bed. The
viability of the former strain after dehydration was low, regardless of sucrose
concentration. However, viability of the latter strain, which proved to be
higher than that of the former strain in every case, produced a maximum
viability of 60 percent.