Probiotics in Functional Foods

Abstract

Growing consumer demand around the world for “healthier” food options has provided considerable momentum for the development and sale of probiotic-enriched foods and as such a potentially lucrative business for food manufacturers. Over time, traditional foods have been explored for the identification of novel strains of probiotics and these novel probiotic strains have been used as cultures in commercially available products due to their perceived health benefits. For many years, dairy products were considered as the sole source of probiotics. However, non-dairy sources have also been explored for potential probiotic strains. Both plant-based and animal-based foods have been recognized as rich sources of useful strains. Fruits, vegetables, cereals, grains, and meat have been explored as a source for the isolation of potential probiotic strains. Various probiotic-enriched products have been developed as vehicles for the delivery of probiotics, and these include juices, purees, and fermented health drinks. Despite the perceived health benefits, a number of challenges are being faced by the functional food industry in general. These challenges include the bioavailability and efficacy of probiotics; the survival of probiotics during manufacture and processing and in the final food product; consumer acceptance; and storage and distribution that influence access to the global market. Various technologies have been employed to ensure the viability of probiotics during processing and post-processing stages, and these include addition of prebiotics and encapsulation of probiotics with different proteins and polysaccharide mixtures. However, there is still a need to ensure the viability of probiotics in food delivery systems and to enhance their survival during processing and storage, and under gastric conditions. In this regard, exploring traditional foods to identify novel strains of probiotics with better stability warrants greater attention. In addition, carefully designed clinical trials need to be undertaken to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms that link probiotic consumption to human health. This article reviews recent developments related to isolation, utilization, and characterization of probiotic strains, current understanding of the synergistic effect of probiotics and prebiotics (synbiotics), and recent market trends. This review also includes case studies of selected food products to demonstrate the application of probiotics as well as the challenges for probiotic delivery currently influencing the market.