The viable count in the mix was 8.1 log CFU/g which is similar to the population determined for the
ice cream sample at t ¼ 0 (8.2 log CFU/g). The observed survival rate of 98.8% reveals that the formulation, whipping and air incorporation did not affect the survival of B. animalis. The same tendency was observed for the survival of Lactobacillus delbrueckii in ice cream with different fat levels and in fermented ice cream with addition of Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium lactis. Previous reports show that oxygen toxicity caused by the incorporation of air during the ice cream production may seriously affect the growth of anaerobic bifidobacteria