Abstract To meet consumer requirements and expectations, innovative approaches to combining whey with other ingredients are being explored. The demand for health-promoting drinks containing vitamins, probiotics, prebiotics, minerals, and bioactive components (antioxidants) has risen, propelling market expansion. The purpose of this study was to develop a synbiotic functional whey beverage supplemented with Bifidobacterium animalis, D-allulose, and β-glucan and evaluate its microbiological, physicochemical, and influence on several health indicators in a Wistar rat model. The beverage supplemented with D-allulose had the highest average viable counts of B. animalis (9.20 log10CFU/g) and was the second most preferred in terms of of taste, texture and general acceptability compared to β-glucan-containing beverage. The highest TAS and lowest TOS values were determined in the serum samples of rats belonging to group WA, WG and WAG, respectively. This study might lead to additional studies focusing on specific variables and the relevance of utilizing D-allulose in dairy product processing.

Abstract Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a virulent disease which may infect by affecting the central nervous system (CNS) tissues in cattle and causes degeneration in nerves. Central nervous system tissues such as brain and spinal cord which are classified as specified risk materials (SRMs) are regarded to be main source of infection. The contamination of the meat with the specific risk materials (SRMs) can occur in phases of slaughter, fragmentation of carcass and processing. This study was conducted in order to investigate the existence of CNS tissues in raw meat ball (cig kofte) which is commonly consumed in the Southeastern Region of Turkey, particularly in Şanlıurfa. For this purpose, 145 samples of raw meat ball were tested. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (Ridascreen risk material 10/5, R-biofarm GmbH) which determine glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as determinant were used. As a result of the analyses, positivity was detected in 21 of totally 145 samples of raw meat ball (14.48%). 6 (4.14%) of the samples gave low level of positivity (≥ 0.1 standard absorbance), 10 (6.90%) gave medium level of positivity (>0.2 standard absorbance) and 5 (3.45%) gave high level of positivity (≥0.5 standard absorbance). As a consequence, meats are contaminated in any phase of both slaughter and meat production even if accidentally. Regarding this matter, necessary measures should be taken and hygiene rules should be applied.