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Abstract
During the past two decades probiotic (health promoting) micro-organisms have been
increasingly included in various types of food products, especially in fermented milks.
Several aspects, including safety, functional and technological characteristics, have
to be taken into consideration in the selection process of probiotic micro-organisms.
Safety aspects include specifications such as origin (healthy human GI-tract), non-pathogenicity
and antibiotic resistance characteristics. Functional aspects include viability and
persistence in the GI-tract, immunomodulation, antagonistic and antimutagenic properties.
Before probiotic strains, chosen on the basis of their good safety and functional
characteristics, can benefit the consumer, they must first be able to be manufactured
under industrial conditions. Furthermore, they have to survive and retain their functionality
during storage, and also in the foods into which they are incorporated without producing
off-flavours. Factors related to the technological and sensory aspects of probiotic
food production are of utmost importance since only by satisfying the demands of the
consumer can the food industry succeed in promoting the consumption of functional
probiotic products in the future.