Buffalo-milk-based dairy products provide various health benefits to humans since buffalo milk serves as a rich source of protein, fat, lactose, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A and natural antioxidants. Dairy products such as Meekiri, Dadih, Dadi and Lassie, which are derived from Artisanal fermentation of buffalo milk, have been consumed for many years. Probiotic potentials of indigenous microflora in fermented buffalo milk have been well documented. Incorporation of certain probiotics into the buffalo-milk-based dairy products conferred vital health benefits to the consumers, although is not a common practice. However, several challenges are associated with incorporating probiotics into buffalo-milk-based dairy products. The viability of probiotic bacteria can be reduced due to processing and environmental stress during storage. Further, incompatibility of probiotics with traditional starter cultures and high acidity of fermented dairy products may lead to poor viability of probiotics. The weak acidifying performance of probiotics may affect the organoleptic quality of fermented dairy products. Besides these challenges, several innovative technologies such as the use of microencapsulated probiotics, ultrasonication, the inclusion of prebiotics, use of appropriate packaging and optimal storage conditions have been reported, promising stability and viability of probiotics in buffalo-milk-based fermented dairy products.

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The present study aimed at the genetic characterization of five major goat populations of Sri Lanka including four indigenous populations (Jaffna Local-JFL, Kottukachchiya-KOT, Southern-SLS and North Central-SNC) and one stabilized crossbred (German Boer x indigenous goats, also known as "Sri Lankan Boer"-SLB). Genetic diversity was evaluated using 15 microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial DNA D-loop variation. Allelic diversity and observed and expected heterozygosities were moderate, but less than Eurasian and Indian goat breeds. The overall mean estimated inbreeding coefficient (F IS) was 0.069 and significant heterozygote deficiency was detected in JFL (P < 0.001), KOT (P < 0.01) and SLS (P < 0.05), indicating population-specific drift or selection of the loci assessed. Genetic differentiation among populations was low and the phylogenetic clustering pattern was in line with the geographical location of goat populations. Although pair-wise Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards chord distance clustered SLS and SLB separately from the rest of the populations, Bayesian clustering clearly showed lack of discrete genetic structure in Sri Lankan goat populations despite significant morphological and phenotypic differences among them. Mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences revealed significantly high haplotype diversity with the existence of maternal haplogroups 'A' and 'B'. Analysis of mtDNA sequences indicated maternal origins of Jaffna Local, Kotukachchiya and Sri Lankan South distinct from the other goat populations.

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