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Probiotics are known to extend health benefits and therefore may be included during yoghurt manufacture to enhance its prophylactic properties. Different probiotic strains may exhibit diverse biotechnological behaviour in association with yoghurt cultures, therefore interactive behaviour amongst probiotic and yoghurt cultures must be evaluated prior to their commercial application. This paper aims to assess the effect of inclusion of different probiotic cultures on various biotechnological (technological, dietetic and prophylactic) characteristics of yoghurt cultures.

Yoghurt was assessed for technological characteristics based on acidification and flavour production, dietetic characteristics based on proteolytic activity, vitamin synthesis and L (+) lactic acid production and prophylactic characteristics based on β‐galactosidase activity, antibacterial spectrum, viability in product as well as during gastro‐intestinal transit, intestinal colonization, immunomodulation, anti‐carcinogenicity and hypocholesterolemic effect.

Different probiotic cultures exhibited diverse technological, dietetic and prophylactic behaviour in association with yoghurt cultures. Functional properties of traditional yoghurt could be enhanced with the combined introduction of probiotic cultures such as Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis and Lactobacillus acidophilus and the resultant product may be recommended for consumption as a dietary adjunct.

The paper shows that combined introduction of probiotic cultures such as B. bifidum, B. infantis and L. acidophilus, as microbial additives during the manufacture of yoghurt would result in a product with enhanced functional properties.

An attempt has been made to highlight the recent literature related to the hypocholesterolemic effect of acidophilus milk. Higher levels of serum cholesterol are often associated with cardiovascular diseases. Concentration of cholesterol can be kept lower by encouraging intake of polyunsaturated and monosaturated fatty acids and discouraging saturated fatty acids. Lactobacillus acidophilus, being the natural inhabitant of intestine and possessing bile‐salt hydrolase activity, can be exploited during the manufacture of acidophilus milk and its application as a means for reducing cholesterol level is recommended. Factors influencing the efficacy of acidophilus milk to lower serum cholesterol are type of milk employed for product manufacture, age, sex, food habits and initial concentration of cholesterol of test subjects. Consumption of acidophilus milk as a dietary adjunct can be recommended.

Globally, consumer’s inclination towards functional foods had noticed due to their greater health consciousness coupled with enhanced health-care cost. The fact that probiotics could promote a healthier gut microbiome led projection of probiotic foods as functional foods and had emerged as an important dietary strategy for improved human health. It had established that ice cream was a better carrier for probiotics than fermented milked due to greater stability of probiotics in ice cream matrix. Global demand for ice cream boomed and probiotic ice cream could have been one of the most demanded functional foods. The purpose of this paper was to review the technological aspects and factors affecting probiotic viability and to standardize methodology to produce functional probiotic ice cream.

Attempt was made to search the literature (review and researched papers) to identify diverse factors affecting the probiotic viability and major technological challenge faced during formulation of probiotic ice cream. Keywords used for data searched included dairy-based functional foods, ice cream variants, probiotic ice cream, factors affecting probiotic viability and health benefits of probiotic ice cream.

Retention of probiotic viability at a level of >10⁶ cfu/ml is a prerequisite for functional probiotic ice creams. Functional probiotic ice cream could have been produced with the modification of basic mix and modulating technological parameters during processing and freezing. Functionality can be further enhanced with the inclusion of certain nutraceutical components such as prebiotics, antioxidant, phenolic compounds and dietary fibres. Based upon reviewed literature, suggested method for the manufacture of functional probiotic ice cream involved freezing of a probiotic ice cream mix obtained by blending 10% probiotic fermented milk with 90% non-fermented plain ice cream mix for higher probiotic viability. Probiotic ice cream with functional features, comparable with traditional ice cream in terms of technological and sensory properties could be produced and can crop up as a novel functional food.

Probiotic ice cream with functional features may attract food manufacturers to cater health-conscious consumers.

The aim of this study is to examine the bioactive properties of lactobacilli‐fermented B‐vitamin soymilk, namely the in‐vitro antihypertensive property and bioconversion of isoflavone glucosides to aglycones.

Lactobacillus acidophilus BT 1088, L. fermentum BT 8219, L. acidophilus FTDC 8633 and L. gasseri FTDC 8131 were investigated for their bioactive potential and enhanced bioconversion of isoflavones in soymilk supplemented with individual B‐vitamins at a concentration of 1 mg/L.

The supplementation of thiamine, riboflavin, niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, biotin and folic acid enhanced the ACE‐inhibitory activity of lactobacilli in soymilk accompanied by a lower IC₅₀ value compared to the control (P<0.05). The β‐glucosidase specific activity of lactobacilli was also enhanced on supplementation of B‐vitamins, leading to increased bioconversion of isoflavones in soymilk. The concentration of genistein was decreased, accompanied by an increased concentration of genistein on fermentation in the presence of thiamine, niacinamide, biotin, calcium pantothenate and folic acid. Additionally, the supplementation of niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, biotin and folic acid also led to lower concentrations of malonyl daidzin, indicating increased hydrolysis of malonyl daidzin to daidzin. Results from the present study indicated that the supplementation of B‐vitamins could enhance the bioactive potential and bioconversion of isoflavones in lactobacilli‐fermented soymilk.

This work has shown that the supplementation of B‐vitamins in lactobacilli fermented soymilk has exerted in vitro ACE‐inhibitory activity and increased the accumulation of bioactive isoflavone aglycones. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first evaluation reporting on such aspects.

The purpose of this article is to attempt to highlight various approaches for enhancing the viability of probiotics, with special emphasis on micro‐encapsulation.

Various techniques, such as selection of acid and bile resistant strains, use of oxygen impermeable packaging materials, two‐step fermentation, stress adaptation, inclusion of micro‐nutrient, sonication of bacteria and micro‐encapsulation, which could be employed for maintaining or enhancing probiotic viability are discussed, with special emphasis on micro‐encapsulation.

Probiotics lose their viability during gastro‐intestinal transit due to unfavorable intestinal environment. Amongst diverse techniques micro‐encapsulation could confer protection to the probiotics both in the product as well as in the gastro‐intestinal environment.

The paper shows that micro‐encapsulation of probiotics renders them stable both in the product as well as in the intestinal environment and application of encapsulated probiotics would result in a product with greater prophylactic activities.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of cell immobilization on bioactive property of lactobacilli‐fermented soymilk.

Agrowastes from durian (Durio zibethinus), cempedak (Artocarpus champeden), and mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) were used as immobilizers for lactobacilli (Lactobacillus acidophilus FTDC 1331, L. acidophilus FTDC 2631, L. acidophilus FTDC 2333, L. acidophilus FTDC 1733, and L. bulgaricus FTCC 0411) in soymilk fermentation. Fermented soymilk was stored at different temperatures (4°C, 25°C and 37°C) for 168 h and sampled for analyses periodically.

Scanning electron micrographs showed that cells of lactobacilli were immobilized onto the matrix of agrowastes powder. The proteolytic activity was higher in soymilk supplemented with immobilized lactobacilli at 37°C and 25°C compared to that at 4°C. Soymilk fermented by cells immobilized on cempedak rind powder showed higher proteolytic activity (p<0.0001), followed by durian and mangosteen rinds powder (p<0.001). The highest ACE inhibitory activity was also found in soymilk fermented by cells immobilized on cempedak rind powder for all temperatures studied (p<0.0001). In addition, ACE inhibitory activity was higher in soymilk fermented at 37°C, compared to 25°C and 4°C (p<0.0001).

The results in the paper show that cell immobilization enhances the bioactive property of fermented soymilk, in terms of proteolysis and in‐vitro ACE inhibitory activity.

There is need for exhaustive studies to be undertaken to identify various probiotic strains and to understand the actual mechanism of action by which these probiotics exert their health benefits in order to exploit its fullest health benefits expressed by various kinds of the probiotic strains. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The health effects of the probiotics can be accessed by in vivo as well as the in vitro studies of live microorganisms and their biological active compounds on various disease-causing organisms and their harmful metabolites.

The paper is a brief review of recent findings about the health benefits of probiotic strains of microorganisms. The health effects of fermented food items were known since the time immemorial, but the actual cause of this was a mystery. Recent discoveries led to the author's knowledge about the mechanism through which they exert these curative effects which is either by competitive inhibition of harmful microbes in gut or by production of biological active compounds against disease-causing organisms and their harmful metabolites.

Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods which are produced with active live cultures, so various new types of these probiotic cultures can be introduced which can act as food as well as curative agents for treating and preventing various types of diseases at nominal costs.

Increased evidence for the health benefits of probiotics for health restoration coupled with the consumer's inclination towards a safe, natural and cost-effective substitute for drugs have led application of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent and are rapidly moving in clinical usage. In this context, this article attempts to highlight the potential of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent.

Endeavor has been made to explore the significance of probiotics for the modulation of gut ecology and their action. Potentiality of probiotics for their exploitation as a pharmaceutical agent has also been justified. Limitations of probiotic therapy and the various considerations for probiotic therapy have also been delineated.

Probiotic organisms influence the physiological and pathological process of the host by modifying the intestinal microbiota, thereby affecting human health. Beneficial effects of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent seem to be strain and dose dependent and more efficacious with their early introduction. Combination of various probiotics proved to be more efficacious than single strain for exhibiting prophylactic activities.

Reviewed literature indicated that it is difficult to generalize for the beneficial effect of all probiotics for all types of diseases as efficacy of probiotics is strain-dependent and dose-dependent and its clinical application needs long-term investigations.

Clinical trials have displayed that probiotics may alleviate certain disorders or diseases in humans especially those related to gastro-intestinal tract.

Ingestion of fermented dairy products containing probiotic cultures may provide health benefits in certain clinical conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, rotavirus-associated diarrhoea, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome, allergenic diseases, cancer, Helicobacter pylori infection and lactose-intolerance. Application of probiotics as a pharmaceutical agent is recommended.

Recent societal interest in healthful foods has led to the development of functional dairy products that basically provide health benefits in addition to their fundamental nutrients. Yoghurt being most popular fermented milk product due to its healthy image can be an excellent carrier for probiotics. Functional properties of yoghurt can be enhanced with the inclusion of functional ingredients such as probiotics and its conjugate application with prebiotics may be advantageous as it favors probiotic growth. Nutritional and medicinal value of honey coupled with presence of oligosaccharides has projected honey as a functional additive in yoghurt.

Attempt has been made to review the literature on the biochemical activities of yoghurt cultures and probiotics in presence of honey. Both review and research papers related to biochemical activities and functional properties of yoghurt cultures and probiotics in presence of honey and their health benefits published in diverse journals under Pub Med and Science Direct have been considered. Keywords used for data search included functional foods, yoghurt, probiotic, health benefits, honey, etc.

Functional properties of yoghurt can be further enhanced with the inclusion of probiotic cultures and honey. Honey can be safely used in association with different probiotic cultures during yoghurt manufacture for augmenting functional properties of yoghurt to extend health benefits. Honey may not be equally a suitable matrix for all yoghurt cultures or probiotic cultures.

Reviewed literature indicated that limited research on animal or human feeding trials with honey containing yoghurt has been done. Clinical trials with honey containing yoghurt are emerging prior to its marketing as functional food.

Application of honey as a functional additive during the manufacture of probiotic yoghurt is suggested to extend the functional properties of normal yoghurt.

Probiotic fermented foods are fast being recognized as health foods. Most of such developed foods are based on dairy products and much less work is available on cereals/legumes which constitute the staple diet in developing nations. In the present study an attempt has been made to develop a barley‐based probiotic fermented food mixture and report its acceptability and nutritional profile.

Indigenously developed BCGT food mixture containing barley flour, milk coprecipitate, sprouted green gram paste and tomato pulp (2:1:1:1, w/w) was autoclaved (1.5kg/cm², 15min., 121^○C), cooled and fermented with 2 per cent liquid culture (containing 10⁶ cells/ml broth). Two types of fermentations were carried out i.e. single culture fermentation [ L. casei, L. plantarum (37^○C, 24hr.)] and sequential culture fermentation [S. boulardii (25^○C, 24hr.)+L. casei (37^○C, 24hr.); S. boulardii (25^○C, 24hr.)+L. plantarum (37^○C, 24hr.)]. The lyophilized and rehydrated food mixtures were subjected to organoleptic and nutritional evaluation. The data were statistically analysed for analysis of variance in a completely randomized design according to standard methods.

All the fermented and lyophilized food mixtures were found to be organoleptically acceptable to human palate and maintained adequate cell viability. The pH of the fermented products varied from 4.13 to 4.55. They had good nutrient profile with crude protein content ranging from 20.87 to 21.81 per cent.

Since the developed product had good acceptability after one month storage at room temperature, it can be considered for commercialization after establishing its health/therapeutic implications.

Till date dairy foods have preferentially been used as the carrier medium for probiotics. This paper explores the possibility of using staple foods as the carrier medium. The consumption of such food mixtures may be useful in controlling pathogens/antibiotics induced diarrhoea as well as in hypercholesterolemia. To authenticate such claims, the results of trials carried out on mice in our lab shall be reported in future communications.