Probiotic Dairy Foods and Prebiotics for Health Benefit

摘要

Probiotics are the live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. According to FAO/WHO, the following are the characteristics of probiotics: i) it must be alive ii) it must deliver a measured physiological benefit, substantiated by studies conducted in the target host iii) it need not be restricted to food applications or oral delivery iv) it should not limit the mechanism of action but the delivery of metabolites/ products by micro organisms to the small intestine be considered as a probi-otic activity. Probiotics have received considerable attention over the past few years for their purported health benefits. Generally they are lactobacilli such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, and bifidobac-teriaoften referred to as 'bifidus' (Daly and Davis, 1998). Foods used for dissemination of probiotics are usually fermented foods even if probiotics also could be present in infant formula, fruit drinks, whey drinks and sweet milk. Fermented milk and cheeseare the most common foods with probiotics. Fermented foods are produced by a microbial fermentation in which fermentable carbohydrates are transformed into ethanol and/or organic acids mainly acetic, lactic and propionic acid. Yeast and lactic acid bacteria are the microbes commonly used in food fermentation.