Abstract
Fermentation by probiotic lactic acid bacteria makes food beneficial to the gut and has thepotential to be therapeutic. Most probiotic products in the market are dairy based even asthere is a growing demand for vegan probiotic foods. Though many studies on plant foods as a medium for probiotics havebeen carried out, only a few have been successful. Hence a systematic review of plant based probiotic products was conducted to identify the most suitable and acceptable plant foods medium for probiotic bacteria. For this, studies published and indexed in Google scholar between2002-2017 were manually searched and analyzed. The study includes substrates from different food groups and combinations: cereals (22%), pulses (3%), cereal-pulse mix (5%), vegetables (19%), fruits (32%), combination (16%) and unconventional foods (3%). Soymilk was found to be the most promising among pulse-based substrates. The shelf life and viability of probiotics varied from 7 days to 4 weeks based on the initial count, temperature, time, strain of bacteria and substrate. Though a majority of the studies were carried out with fruit substrates, good probiotic count, improvements in nutritional properties, better acceptability and quicker fermentation time was found incereal based products. Hence, it is concluded that cereal based products is more suitable for the production of non-dairy probiotic products.
Highlights
Consumer interest in attaining wellness through diet has increased the demand for functional foods that deliver nutrition and modulate physiological functions in an advantageous way
Intolerance to lactose and the cholesterol content in milk are two major concerns related to fermented dairy products.[4]. These are compelling reasons to explore the potential of plant foods in supporting probiotics
Thirty seven articles which studied the possibility of various plant sources as media for probiotic bacteria were located using Google scholar
Summary
Consumer interest in attaining wellness through diet has increased the demand for functional foods that deliver nutrition and modulate physiological functions in an advantageous way. The enzymatic action of probiotics modifies the nature of food in a way that favors the gastrointestinal tract They are defined as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host”.2. Intolerance to lactose and the cholesterol content in milk are two major concerns related to fermented dairy products.[4] These are compelling reasons to explore the potential of plant foods in supporting probiotics. Such explorations can be crucial for commercial production of plant probiotic product.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
