Contents Vol. 6, No. 2, December 2017

Scientific investigators have motivated recently from principal role of food by supplying adequate nutrients and energy to sustain physiological functions and well-being. Conversely, the consumer interest about the active role of food in well-being and life prolongation has been improved. In this manner, a novel term functional food was introduced which refers to the prevention and therapeutic effects of food beyond its nutritional value. A wide array of functional foods has been developed recently and many of them are being produced in all over the world i.e. probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic foods. All these functional components are able to exercise substantial influences on human well-being. The present review focuses on recent developments in dairy and non-dairy probiotic products. All over the world, dairy probiotics are being commercialized in several different forms. However, the allergy and lactose intolerance are the major health concerns to dairy probiotics. Whereas, flavor and refreshing nature are the principle advantages of non-dairy drinks, especially fruit juices. Emphasizing these positive activities is one possible approach for improving the health image of non-dairy fermented products and developing the functional foods. Discovering of new probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic functional foods is linked to the interest of the food industry to renovate constantly through introduction of products with enhanced nutritional value, but also with health advantage for consumers.

Functional food is known as a food, either natural or formulated, which enhances physiological performance or prevent or treat diseases and disorders. Functional foods include those items developed for health purposes as well as for physical performance. Nowadays, Probiotics and prebiotics, as functional foods, are both pretty big topics in nutrition due to their importance for human health. However, they play different roles. Probiotics are live bacteria found in certain foods or supplements. They can provide numerous health benefits, whereas, prebiotics are the important ingredients for supporting the bacteria growth. Many studies showed that there are many benefits health effect of probiotics: improvement of lactose intolerance phenomenon, cholesterol reduction, antidiarrheal and anticarcinogenic agents. Therefore, research in the probiotic areas has progressed considerably and significant advances have been made in the selection and characterization of specific probiotic cultures and substantiation of health claims relating to their consumption. Fermented dairy products are generally considered to be one of the most suitable vehicles for the administration of an adequate number of probiotic microorganisms. Our related studies to this concern were focused on the therapeutic properties of two different fermented food probiotic products. The first probiotic product was fermented camel milk fortified with dates, while the second one was aged black garlic which is known as a type of fermented garlic. The experiments were carried out on model systems of experiment animals. Results of both studies showed remarkable findings since both fortified fermented camel milk and fermented black garlic had significant effects on enhancement of humoral immune system meanwhile fermented black garlic had more hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects.

The fermented soy foods that originated many thousand years ago in the Asian countries are often referred to as indigenous fermented foods. Some of the fermented soy foods are now popular in the west. The increased palatability of fermented soy foods is due to the desirable changes in soybeans properties, including texture and organoleptic characteristics (flavor, aroma, and appearance or consistency). Elimination of beany flavors, improvement of digestibility and enhanced keeping quality of the product improved safety and increase the nutritional value are considered the main goals. Fermentation makes the organoleptic characteristics of soybean more attractive to the consumer than the raw soybean. Microbial fermentation is considered as one of the oldest and most economical method for food production and preservation. Fermentation process may increase the digestibility and bioavailability of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and minerals; enhance the nutritional value such as vitamin content; shorten the cooking time, convert animal feed into food fit for humans; and increase the microbial safety.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a heterogeneous group of gram-positive bacteria. They are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and occupy a central role in the food industry for centuries. LAB has been widely used in many industrial applications as a starter culture in production of fermented food products and as biocontrol agent in food preservation. In addition, many strains of LAB have probiotic properties that colonize the host mucosal surfaces, including gut, where they may contribute to host health. Several factors affect the viability of LAB during food manufacturing, storage and after consumption during transition through the gastrointestinal tract. Two options could maintain the viability of probiotics. Selecting resistant probiotic strains or genetically modified one to adapt the stress conditions or developing an effective encapsulating delivery system. Microencapsulation appears to be one of the promising techniques in protecting the LAB. Encapsulation efficiency was affected by the capsule size, carrier agent, encapsulation technique and the probiotic cell load. Several methods and carrier agents have been investigated and appeared promising, however, in the laboratory scale. Designing a good delivery system for industrial scale production could be performed through understanding the characteristic features of the entrapped bacteria and how it interact with the carrier agent, the kind of the exposed stress, the required capsule size and the in vivo assessment for its benefit on the human health.