Ready to Use Therapeutical Beverages: Focus on Functional Beverages Containing Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics

Abstract

The growing global interest in functional foods containing nutrients capable of adding possible beneficial health effects is rapidly increasing both interest and consumer demand. In particular, functionalized beverages for their potential positive effect on health e.g., decreasing cholesterol level, lowering sugar, high fiber content, ability to enhance the immune system, and help digestion, have recently received special attention. Among the different beverages available on the market, probiotic dairy and non-dairy products have attracted much attention because of their affordable cost and their numerous therapeutic activities. Fermented milk and yogurt are currently worth €46 billion, with 77% of the market reported in Europe, North America, and Asia. Consumption of dairy beverages has some limitations due for example to lactose intolerance and allergy to milk proteins, thereby leading consumers to use non-dairy beverages such as fruit, grains, and vegetable juices to add probiotics to diet as well as driving the manufacturers to food matrices-based beverages containing probiotic cultures. The purpose of this review article is to evaluate the therapeutic performance and properties of dairy and non-dairy beverages in terms of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic activities.

The Effect of Fermentation with Kefir Grains on the Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Beverages from Blue Lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) Seeds

“…In the last decades, many scientific reports highlighted nutritional properties of kefir and health benefits owing to its antimicrobial, anticancer, gastrointestinal tract effects, gut microbiota modulation, cholesterol-lowering activity, and anti-diabetic effects [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Recently, milk consumption has been declining, and consumer demand for cow’s milk alternatives increased as a result of the increase in the diagnosis of lactose intolerance, allergies, and cholesterol issues [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Furthermore, the ongoing trend of vegetarianism, with an increasing number of vegan/vegetarian consumers, has established a massive worldwide importance of non-dairy plant-based dairy substitutes [ 10 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Biotransformation of Flaxseed Oil Cake into Bioactive Camembert-Analogue Using Lactic Acid Bacteria, Penicillium camemberti and Geotrichum candidum

“…Therefore, 10 6 CFU/g is the most widely accepted minimum concentration of LAB in food [9]. In general, at any time, the bacterial counts were maintained in the samples over level >10 6 CFU/g, which may be attributed to prebiotic fiber content. In fact, HadiNezdah et al demonstrated that flaxseed fiber acts as good prebiotic, enhancing the LAB growth in kefir model [49].…”

“…The search for new functional food ingredients from natural sources and from by-products represents one of the most important challenges in food science and technology. Food industry by-products represent a valuable source of minerals, proteins, fatty acids, fiber, and bioactive substances, and they can constitute as an important raw material for the development of novel functional foods [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Simultaneously, the intake of plant-based products, which are rich sources of bioactive compounds, increases notably [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…The latter includes the presence of bioactive molecules, vitamins, and other constituents with increased availability due to the process of fermentation. Fermented foods account for about 25% of diets in Europe and 60% in developing countries [ 6 ]. Especially in the western diet, fermented milk products (in which yogurt, kefir and cheese remain at the forefront of dairy products) represent 60% of fermented foods [ 9 ].…”

Yeast Fermentation at Low Temperatures: Adaptation to Changing Environmental Conditions and Formation of Volatile Compounds

“…Fermented dairy products, especially kefir, are a rich source of bioactive peptides with antibacterial, antioxidant, and even antihypertensive features, which have a beneficial impact on human health [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Polyphenols are another significant group of compounds in fermented products, particularly in alcoholic beverages, and are considered beneficial for humans.…”