Functional cultures and health benefits

A number of health benefits have been claimed for probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacteriurn spp., and L. casei. These benefits include antimutagerric effects, anticarcinogenic properties, improvement in lactose metabolism, reduction in serum cholesterol, and immune system stimulation. Because of the potential health benefits, these organisms are increasingly being incorporated into dairy foods, particularly yoghurt. In addition to yoghurt, fermented functional foods with health benefits based on bioactive peptides released by probiotic organisms, including Evolus (R) and Calpis (R), have been introduced in the market. To maximize effectiveness of bifidus products, prebiotics are used in probiotic foods. Synbiotics are products that contain both prebiotics and probiotics. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.