Dairy products can help bifidobacteria survive in gastric juice because of their buffering effect. Studies involving Bifidobacterium lactis species have demonstrated excellent viability maintenance in fermented milk until the time of consumption (Gueimonde et al., 2004; Ross, Desmond, & Stanton, 2005).
The maintenance of B. lactis viability in dairy products may be improved by adding prebiotic ingredients such as inulin and oligosaccharides, which have bifidogenic properties and do not interfere with the flavor of the final product (Roberfroid, 2007).