Chapter 26 - Beneficial and Toxic Compounds Released by Starter and Secondary Microbiota in Dairy Products

Abstract

Dairy products are part of a nutritious diet, and consumption of these products is beneficial to human health. They are reported to be essential to maintain a healthy bone and dental condition, to prevent osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease risk factors, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndromes, and some kinds of cancers. Particularly, fermented dairy products are good sources of biologically active peptides that have many functional and health-promoting roles including antihypertensive, antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and opioid activities as well as immunomodulatory and cholesterol-lowering effects. Apart from bioactive peptides, probiotics have a potential use as functional-food ingredients or nutraceuticals for health promotion and for reduction of the risk and incidence of many diseases including cancer. However, besides the beneficial effects, they might have some adverse effects on human health if contaminated by some secondary microorganisms during production, ripening, or storage. Some microorganisms grown particularly in cheeses can release toxic compounds, the most known ones of which are biogenic amines and mycotoxins. Provided that uncontrolled contaminations occur during manufacture or storage, dairy products can cause sporadic cases or outbreaks of disease. This chapter provides an overview of the potential presence of microorganisms in dairy products in the light of their positive or negative impact on human health.