Evaluation methods for development and selection of novel probiotics

Abstract

Probiotics is currently one of the science–driven products which have undergone considerable evolution with acclaimed health benefit. Besides the discovery of antibiotics some years ago, probiotics has found considerable applications in life sciences, aquaculture, poultry, piggery, animal health, and human healthcare. There are many novel putative probiotic organisms that could be found in different substrates or carbon sources among bacteria, bacteriophages, fungi, yeasts, microalgae etc. A search approach to developing candidate probionts could be made among these variable sources. Invariably, the methods for isolation and evaluation of the probiotic organisms are many depending on the purpose of use. To wit, different methods are used in aquaculture industry or animal health and human healthcare. For instance, the Food and Agriculture organization FAO of the United Nation/ World Health organization UNO/WHO has already developed international guidelines for the evaluation of probiotics meant for the later. Consequently, this chapter reviews the different methods and approaches for development and evaluation of novel potential probiotics for aquaculture production, taking into considerations the differences in environments and the complex needs and nature of aquatic species. Qualifying a strain of bacterium as a probiotics and selection of such strain for probiotic purposes has not been easy. Principally, scientific driven approaches have been used to primarily decipher the specific trait a desirable probiotic strain should possess, and also developed methods used for selecting and evaluating candidate probiotics. This review will addressed the different methodologies which have been used to analyze microbial cells, which promises to serves for probiotic strains for use in aquaculture industry