Functional Properties of Camel Milk Fermented by Their Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria

Many chronic diseases are related to population diet. The growing incidence of these diseases has encouraged consumers to turn to healthy and functional foods. Camel milk and probioticfermented foods, historically recognized for their health benefits, continue to attract increasing attention within the food industry. In this context, our study aimed to select probiotic starter cultures capable of improving the antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities of fermented camel milk as an alternative to bovine milk. The collected samples were fermented with five Pediococcus seven , and with spontaneous fermentation. It was found that the functional capacities were higher in controlled fermentation. The LAB strains reduced the pH of both camel and cow milk by 1.37 and 1.11 units, respectively, after just 6 hours of fermentation. In addition, they improved milk DPPH radical scavenging capacity (96.38% and 89.02%, respectively) while inhibiting the growth of Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Multivariate analysis of the results revealed that strains Pd24, Pd30, Ef2, Ef12, and Ed11 were particularly promising for the production of functional fermented camel milk, whereas strains Ef12, Ef2, and Ed11 were most suitable for cow milk fermentation.