Probiotics are commonly consumed in the form of supplements and fermented (drink) yogurts. However, alternative carriers are possible and especially cheese seems to be well suited. Selected Lactobacillus strains (L. acidophilus NCFM and L. rhamnosus HN001) were observed to grow during ripening and maintain viability throughout 3 months shelf life. Consumption of 15g of cheese would provide a required daily dose of 109 CFU. Bifidobacterium lactis appeared to be less well suited for application in cheese.

In vitro simulation of digestion showed that in a commercial cheese, the Lactobacillus strains were able to survive conditions similar to those found in the human gastrointestinal tract. Furthermore, the strains were able to modulate the composition and activity of the simulated intestinal microbiota. A subsequent dietary intervention study indicated that consumption of the probiotic cheese was able to increase phagocytosis activity and the fraction of phagocytic cells in healthy elderly volunteers.

The improvement in innate immunity was similar to what was observed earlier for reconstituted milk containing L. rhamnosus HN001; showing that cheese is an equally good and effective carrier for this particular strain as milk. The health effect of the increased phagocytosis remains, however, to be determined.