Process for the production of a cultured milk beverage

Abstract

A cultured milk beverage contains at least 3.times.10.sup.8 cells/ml of at least one type of lactic acid bacterium selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus jugurti and a mixture of a galactooligosaccharide, which is represented by the following formula: Gal-(Gal).sub.n -Glc wherein Gal means a galactose residual group, Glc denotes a glucose residual group, and n stands for an integer of 1-4, and a galactosyldisaccharide represented by the following formula: Gal-R wherein R means a galactose residual group or a glucose residual group, and Gal has the same meaning as defined above, said galactosyldisaccharide being other than lactose. The cultured milk beverage can be produced providing the lactic acid bacterium and culturing the same to a population of at least 3.times.10.sup.8 cells/ml of the cultured milk beverage and then adding the mixture of the galactooligosaccharide and the galactosyldisaccharide to the resultant culture.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.