Evaluation of Cheddar Cheese as a Food Carrier for Delivery of a Probiotic Strain to the Gastrointestinal Tract

Cheddar cheese was evaluated as a food carrier for the delivery of viable microorganisms of Enterococcus faecium (Fargo 688®; Quest Int., Naarden, The Netherlands) to the gastrointestinal tract. This strain had previously been shown to possess properties required of a probiotic microorganism including the ability to relieve irritable bowel syndrome. The strain was found to survive to high numbers in Cheddar cheese during ripening at 8°C for 15 mo (4 × 10⁸ cfu/g) and in yogurt during storage at 4°C for 21 d (4 × 10⁷ cfu/g). In an in vitro model system, Cheddar cheese was found to have a greater protective effect than yogurt upon exposure of the probiotic culture to porcine gastric juice at pH 2. Subsequently, a feeding trial involving 8 pigs per group was performed in which a rifampicin-resistant variant of the probiotic strain was fed for 21 d at a mean daily intake of 1.3 × 10¹⁰ cfu/d from Cheddar cheese or 3.7 × 10⁹ cfu/d from yogurt. During the feeding period, Cheddar cheese yielded a significantly higher mean fecal probiotic count (2 × 10⁶ cfu/g of feces) than did yogurt (5.2 × 10⁵ cfu/g of feces). These data indicate that mature Cheddar cheese compares very favorably with fresh yogurt as a delivery system for viable probiotic microorganisms to the gastrointestinal tract.