Development of a functional fermented dairy beverage from buttermilk

The aim of this study was to develop a fermented dairy beverage based on buttermilk, enriched with prebiotic fibre and supplemented with protein, and to evaluate its physicochemical and microbiological properties. Four treatments were formulated: control (T1), inulin (T2), whey protein (T3), and inulin plus whey protein (T4). During 36 days of refrigerated storage, pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, protein content, lactic acid bacteria count, and rheological behaviour were evaluated. Treatments T1 and T2 exhibited minimal differences across all parameters, confirming the feasibility of adding inulin to dairy beverages without altering their characteristics. Treatments T3 and T4 showed significant differences in all parameters except microbial counts, displaying higher pH, titratable acidity, protein content, and viscosity, and lower syneresis, highlighting the influence of protein supplementation on product properties. Overall, the results demonstrated that the use of buttermilk to produce dairy beverages is promising and may lead to a new variety of healthy products for consumption.