Probiotics functional foods

FLOCK M H, HONG-cuRTiss J (2002) Probiotics and Functional Foods in Gastrointestinal Disorders. Curr Treat Options Gastroenterol. 5 311-21. 

ROBERFROID M B (2000) Prebiotics and probiotics are they functional foods dm J Clin Nutr 11 1682S-90S. 

Zubillaga M., Weil R., Postaire E., Goldman C., Caro R. and Boccio J. (2001). Effect of probiotics and functional foods and their use in different diseases . Nutr Res, 21, 569-579. 

Two types of functional food are not designed to provide us with dietary components, but to provide food for the microbes that inhabit our gut. These are the so-called probiotic and prebiotic foods. The former are meant to introduce better bacteria into our intestines, while the latter feed the bacteria that are already there in the hope of boosting more of the good bacteria and thereby helping them crowd out the bad bacteria. Various health claims have been made for these foods. 

A Nutraceutical is any substance that is a food or a part of a food and provides medical or health benefits. Nutraceutical products are also known as functional foods. Inulin-containing foods have long been known to be beneficial for health. Inulin is fermented in the colon, selectively altering the microflora present (Gibson et al., 1995). Bifidobacteria, a genus considered to have health-promoting properties, displaces a number of undesirable microbes. Inulin is a component of many probiotic food supplements (see Section 6.1.3). 

The range of food components now considered as bioactives include vitamins, minerals, functional lipids, probiotics, amino acids, peptides and proteins, phytosterols, phytochemicals and antioxidants (Wildman 2001). Their structure and function vary widely and are important considerations when adding them to food. The health aspects of bioactive ingredients and functional foods are not covered here as they are beyond the scope of this chapter. 

The demand for healthy foods has led to the development of several entirely new healthy ingredient and additive categories (Heasman and Mellentin 2001 Sloan 2004). An entirely new sector of functional food ingredients has developed, including products such as omega-3 fatty acids and phytosterols for cardiovascular health, prebiotics and probiotics for gut health, antioxidants, polyphenols and phytochemicals, and bioactive peptides. The established vitamins and minerals sector has also benefited from this functional food trend, with more and more products being fortified with beneficial vitamins and minerals. 

Salminen, S., Laine, M., von Wright, A., Vuopio-Varkila, J., Korhonen, T., and Mattila-Sandholm, T. 1996. Development of selection criteria for probiotic strains to assess their potential in functional foods A Nordic and European approach. Biosci. Microflora 15, 61-67. 

Sanders, M.E. and Huis in t Veld, J.H.J., Bringing a probiotic-containing functional food to the market microbiological, product, regulatory and labelling issues, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, 76, 293, 1999. 

Stanton, C., Desmond, C., Coakley, M., Collins, J.K., Fitzgerald, G.E, and Ross, R.R Challenges facing development of probiotic-containing functional foods. Handbook of Fermented Foods, E.R. Famworth, ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 27-58, 2003. 

Production of femiented foods, probiotics (microbial dietary supplements). Genomic analysis should yield functional information to enable the design of lactic acid bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) better suited to indusdial processes or tailored to provide nuditional benefit. 

The main probiotic preparations available on the market are known as Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), for the most part represented by lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which are important constituents, normally present, of the gastrointestinal microflora, and that produce lactic acid as a major metabolite. Moreover, also certain yeasts and bacilli are counted among probiotics. Table 37.3 reports the microorganisms recognized as probiotics and used in the production of functional foods. 

Microorganisms Used as Probiotics for the Production of Functional Foods... 

Granato, D. Branco, G. F. Cruz, A. G. Fonseca Faria, J. d. A. Shah, N. P, Probiotic dairy products as functional foods. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science arul Food Safety (2010) 9,455-470. 

Ziemer, C. J. Gibson, G. R., An overview of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics in the functional food concept Perspectives and future strategies. International Dairy Journal (1998) 8,473-479. 

Khan, M. L, Arshad, M. S., Anjum, F. M., Sameen, A., Aneeq-ur-Rehman, Gill, W. T. (2011). Meat as a functional food with special reference to probiotic sausages. Food Research International, 44, 3125-3133. 

Stanton, C., Ross, R. P, Fitzgerald, G. R, Van Sinderen, D. (2005). Fermented functional foods based on probiotics and their biogenic metabohtes. Current Opinion in Biotechnol-ogyent Opinion in Biotechnology, 16, 198-203. 

The levels and bioavailability of phytochemicals in plant foods such as legumes, cereals, vegetables, herbs and fraits can be greatly affected by processing such as fermentation. This subsequently leads to increased antioxidant properties, which may be benehcial for treatment and/or prevention of diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer. Thus fermentation, especially with probiotics (functional microbes), can serve as an important process not only for preservation but also for production of functional foods with enhanced bioactive and antioxidant properties. 

The consumer demand on the functional foods increases as they promote the gut health and decrease the risk of diseases. The functional foods are categorized into three groups based on their mechanism of action as probiotics, prebiotics, and biogenics (Mitsuoka, 2002). The chitooligosaccharides can also be applied as functional foods in the food industry as they have the capacity to act as a... 

TINH N T N, DIERCKENS K, SORGELOOS p and BOSSIER p (2008) A review of the functionality of probiotics in the larviculture food chain. Mar Biotechnol, 10,1-12. 

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