Probiotics are defined by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
World Health Organization (WHO) as: “live microorganisms that, when administered
in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Bifidobacterium and
Lactobacillus are the principal probiotic groups; however, there are reports on the
probiotic potential of Enterococcus, Bacillus and yeasts. A number of potential benefits
of probiotics have been proposed, including: alleviation of lactose intolerance,
immunomodulatory activity, hypocholesterolaemic effects, prevention of inflammatory
bowel disease and effect on Helicobacter pylori eradication. Currently, most of
probiotic strains used commercially were initially isolated from human feces whether
adults or children, as well as dairy products. However, recently, it has been shown that
non-fermented dairy foods such as vegetable foods are an excellent source of bacteria
to find new probiotic strains with a significant probiotic potential. In this review, the
history of probiotics, their mechanisms of action and the beneficial health effects are
presented.
Keywords: Bacillus, Beneficial health effects, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus,
Immunomodulation, Lactobacillus, Mechanisms of action, Metabolic effects,
Probiotics, Safety assessment, Technological and functional criteria,
Sacharomyces.
