The Survival of Psychobiotics in Fermented Food and the Gastrointestinal Tract: A Review

In recent years, scientists have been particularly interested in the gut-brain axis, as well as the impact of probiotics on the nervous system. This has led to the creation of the concept of psychobiotics. The present review describes the mechanisms of action of psychobiotics, their use in food products, and their viability and survival during gastrointestinal passage. Fermented foods have a high potential of delivering probiotic strains, including psychobiotic ones. However, it is important that the micro-organisms remain viable in concentrations ranging from about 10(6) to 10(9) CFU/mL during processing, storage, and digestion. Reports indicate that a wide variety of dairy and plant-based products can be effective carriers for psychobiotics. Nonetheless, bacterial viability is closely related to the type of food matrix and the micro-organism strain. Studies conducted in laboratory conditions have shown promising results in terms of the therapeutic properties and viability of probiotics. Because human research in this field is still limited, it is necessary to broaden our understanding of the survival of probiotic strains in the human digestive tract, their resistance to gastric and pancreatic enzymes, and their ability to colonize the microbiota.

Automated summary

In recent years, scientists have been studying the gut-brain axis and the effects of probiotics on the nervous system, which has led to the concept of psychobiotics. This review discusses the mechanisms, use in food products, and viability of psychobiotics during digestion. Fermented foods show potential as carriers of psychobiotic strains, but the survival of micro-organisms is influenced by food type and strain. Laboratory studies have shown promising results, but further research is needed to understand probiotic survival in the human digestive tract.