Non-dairy probiotics; importance and examples

The human intestinal flora has a variety of bacteria, some of which are known as probiotics. These bacteria help in food digestion and produce complex molecules and compounds such as vitamins and various antibiotics. The health benefits of probiotics can be obtained only when the food contains the minimum acceptable number of 106CFU/ml of probiotic strain at the time of consumption. The most known probiotic microorganisms include strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera. Probiotics are mainly used in dairy products because these products provide a favorable cultural environment for them. However, probiotic dairy products are not suitable for certain consumer groups, because 65% of the world's population suffers from lactose intolerance and other diseases caused by the consumption of these products. The growth of different food diets, such as vegetarianism, has led to a greater preference for non-dairy foods such as probiotic-fermented grains, non-dairy milk alternatives, and fruit and vegetable juices. Thus, there is a need to provide alternatives to fermented dairy products by exploring new non-dairy substrates as carriers of probiotics. Different matrices such as grains and juices are used to provide these beneficial microorganisms. The observations indicating that plant compounds, such as complex carbohydrates, may act synergistically with probiotics in gut health formulations have been of great help to manufacturers of non-dairy probiotic products. Every food category such as grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat has been the subject of research for new product development. This review aims to investigate the importance of non-dairy probiotic foods production and their variety in the global market.

Non-dairy probiotics; importance and examples Keywords:

Probiotic , Non-dairy probiotic , Vegetarianism , Intestinal microbiome