Chapter 7 - Probiotic beverages: Health benefits and current trends in the Middle East

Abstract

The market for probiotic beverages is rapidly increasing due to the increased demand of health-conscious consumers for beneficial foods that diminish the risk of disease. The health beneficial effects of probiotic beverages can be attributed to the nutritional and nutraceutical nature in their bases, the added advantageous effects of the fermentation process, and the substantial health effects of probiotic loading. The beneficial health effects provided by probiotic food products are influenced by the number of microorganisms that remain viable while passing through the gastrointestinal tract. In this regard, the viability of probiotic microorganisms in beverage is influenced by the conditions of processing and the particular beverage. The nutrient/anti-nutrient existence, titratable acidity, fermentation involving bacteria, available oxygen, and titratable acidity can be determined by the nature of the beverage and impact maintaining the viability of the probiotic bacteria during both processing and storage. Consequently, in this chapter, the probiotic beverages of the Middle East are investigated on the basis of their nature in the two main categories of dairy- and non-dairy-based probiotic beverages.