Demand of probiotic bacteria has increased and they have become popular, as a result of the researches done to the beneficial effects of probiotics on human health, during last two decades. The probiotics are actively used in the food industry and have been incorporated in various food products such as in fermented dairy foods, non dairy products, plant based products, functional foods etc. Lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species exert their beneficial effects as probiotics through various mechanisms. In this review article, effects of probiotics on health, selection criteria , mechanisms of action of probiotics, advances of the probiotics in possible beneficial properties in the literature and emphasis of probiotics in food is discussed.

Probiotics, Fermented foods, Lactic acid bacteria, prebiotics, synbiotics.

Demand of probiotic bacteria has increased and they have become popular, as a result of the researches done to the beneficial effects of probiotics on human health, during last two decades. The probiotics are actively used in the food industry and have been incorporated in various food products such as in fermented dairy foods, non dairy products, plant based products, functional foods etc. Lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species exert their beneficial effects as probiotics through various mechanisms. In this review article, effects of probiotics on health, selection criteria , mechanisms of action of probiotics, advances of the probiotics in possible beneficial properties in the literature and emphasis of probiotics in food is discussed.

Mradula Gupta , Somesh Sharma and Surabhi Sharma (2016). Probiotics’ A New Generation Functional Food-A Review , Biological Forum – An International Journal 8(2): 363-375(2016).