Microfiltered cow's milk samples were fermented with (prebiotic) and without inulin and evaluated regarding the physico-chemical composition (day 1 of storage) and rheological (days 1, 7, 14 and 21) evaluation, at temperatures of 4.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C and 6.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The addition of inulin increased the total solids content of the prebiotic fermented milk, increasing its acidity. The Power Law and Mizhari and Berk models were applied successfully to describe the flow of the fermented milks, which had characteristics of shear thinning and non-Newtonian fluid behavior. As with the addition of inulin, the storage time contributed to an increase in the apparent viscosity of the product. The prebiotic fermented milk had greater thixotropy and the hysteresis was lower with an increase in the temperature. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.