Two commercial strains of Bifidobacterium spp (Bf -1 and Bf -6) were cultured in 12% (w/w) reconstituted nonfat dry milk (NDM) containing 0, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, or 5.0% (w/v) fructooligosaccharide (FOS), galactooligosaccharide (GOS), and inulin. Inoculated samples were incubated anaerobically at 37°C for 48 h. Growth and activity of the cultures in the presence of FOS, GOS, and inulin were determined. Viability of each strain was assessed after 4 weeks of refrigerated storage at 4°C. Growth promotion, enhancement of activity and retention of viability were greatest when Bifidobacterium Bf-1 and Bf-6 were grown in the presence of FOS followed in a descending order by GOS and inulin. The effects of oligosaccharides and inulin increased with increasing carbohydrate concentration and was maximal at 5% (w/v).