Abstract:

Lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains able to ferment donkey milk were screened in this study according to
fermentation characteristics such as coagulation capacity, acidity and exopolysaccharide (EPS) yield and probiotic
properties such as antioxidant activity and pathogen antagonism. The results indicated that all six strains tested in this
study were able to coagulate donkey milk, among which Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus
rhamnosus had excellent coagulation capacity and oxidation resistance. In addition, Lactobacillus plantarum revealed
excellent antagonistic activity against 8 pathogens from contaminated foods, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus could result in
an EPS yield as high as 70 mg/L. The current study demonstrates that a probioic fermented milk can be made from LAB
fermentation of donkey milk.

Key words: lactic acid bacteria, donkey milk, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity, exopolysaccharide (EPS)