“FERMENTED DAIRY PRODUCTS- ARE THE GOOD VEHICLES OF

PROBIOTICS”
Sharanagouda B*, Spoorthy G S and Venkateshaiah B V
Milk is nutritionally rich, easily perishable food, gets spoiled due to the growth of
contaminating bacteria. To preserve such nutritive food there are many methods evolved
such as converting fermented milk products, which contain live organisms, have got
health benefits beyond basic nutrition, are called probiotic foods. Probiotics a compound
of Latin and Greek word meaning, favourable to life. It is defined by Food and
Agricultural Organization (FAO) of United Nations as “live micro organisms,
administered in adequate amounts which confer a beneficial health effect on the host”.
The first recorded probiotic was fermented milk for human consumption. Fermented
milks in India are consumed since Vedic times without knowing its probiotic action. But,
the scientific interest in this area boosted after the publication of the book entitled The
Prolongation of Life by Ellie Metchinkoff in 1908.

The age-old quote by Hippocrates, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy
food”, is certainly the tenet of today. With the growing interest in self-care and
integrative – medicine, the market for functional foods, or foods that promote health
beyond providing basic nutrition is flourishing. Within the functional foods, is the small
but rapidly expanding one is probiotic foods. Milk and dairy products have been
considered products with high nutritional value because of its high quality proteins and
large varieties of bio-available nutrients. Dairy products therefore offer an excellent
matrix for functional foods. It is estimated to account for 60% of the total functional food
sales in Europe (Young, 2000). Global functional food market has been estimated in the
region of USD 48 billion and is increasing at an astonishing rate, which is likely to triple
in next five years (Reid, 2006).

Probiotics in human Milk

The newborn, breast fed infant receives an inoculum of favourable bacteria during
the birth process and subsequently during breast feeding a further small inoculum is
received consisting of skin flora around mother's breast. Stable microflora with 1x108 to
1x1010 bacilli per gram of feces is established in infants within five days after birth. This
microflora consists of more than 400 species of interdependent bacteria. 90% are gut
friendly, probiotic bacteria and 10% are other bacteria, which may include pathogenic
bacteria. In breast fed babies, the predominant bacteria are bifidobacter and bifidogeneic
lactobacillus.

It has been reported that the most satisfactory results are obtained from the
ingestion of probiotic products containing 1x 108 to 1 x 109 cfu/ml viable cells daily
(Gilliland, 1989). Commercial probiotic preparations are usually single strain or mixtures
of lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, although yeasts such as Saccharomyces have also
been used (Macfarlane and Cumming, 1999).

*Assistant Professor, Dept of Dairy Technology, Dairy Science College, KVAFSU,

Mahagaon Cross, Camp At KVAFSU, Bidar, POBox No.6, Nandinagar, Bidar – 585401.
E-mail: sharan_bp@yahoo.co.in Corresponding author

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 Some probiotic bacteria in human intestine:
Genus Taxonomic nomenclature
Bifidobacteria B. breve
B. infantis
B. lactis
B. longum
Lactobacilli L. acidophilus
L. delbrueckii
L. casei
Enterococci E. faecium
Streptococcus S.salivaricus
Saccharomyces S. boulardii

Selection of Probiotic Strains and Properties for Being Effective as

Probiotics

Ideally, microbial probiotics should have a beneficial effect and not cause any harm
to the host. Therefore, all strains must be studied scrupulously prior to their utilization in
humans or animals and should be having confirmed GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe)
status (Drisko et al., 2003).

Selection criteria for an ideal probiotic:

• The viability of several strains in fermented milk is dependent on both the

production method and the strain.
• The probiotic activity is strain specific.
• The probiotic preparation should contain genetically stable strains of bacteria.
• A vehicle that should all the survivability of probiotics through the G I T passage.
• The probiotics should be viable through the stated shelf life / shelf life stability.

Desirable properties of probiotics:

 Human origin
 Non toxic and nonpathogenic Ability to resist upper G I tract secretion
 Adherence to human intestinal cells.
 Colonization of human intestinal tract
 Production of antimicrobial substances
 Antagonism against carcinogenic / Pathogenic organism
 Ability to modulate immune response
 Safety in food and clinical use
 Clinically - proven health benefit
 Genetically stable
 Technologic properties for commercial viability
 Stability of desired characteristics during processing, storage and delivery

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Factors considered for the viability of the probiotics:

 Drying method
 Type of packaging
 Size of packaging
 Storage conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.)
 Powder milk quality (Standard reference)
 Reconstitution procedure
 Handling of rehydrated product

Mechanism of action of probiotics:

Bifidobacteria are the predominant probiotic in the infant gut. It ferments carbohydrates
into acetic acid and lactic acid.
1. Acetic acid lowers pH of the large bowel, and decreases the growth of infective
and putrefactive anaerobes. It also inactivates rota virus.
2. Acetic acid also can be absorbed and used in energy metabolism.
3. Low pH created by pro biotic activity increases the absorption of minerals such
as calcium ,magnesium and iron and thus improves nutrition
4. hydrocarbons are broken down in to basic elements which allows total
absorption, and improves nutrition
5. Ammonia production decreases when, putrefactive anaerobes are curtailed. It
remains in the ionized form which is utilized for the growth of beneficial bifidobacter
6. The probiotic bacteria synthesize several vitamins including, B3, B6, folic acid
and vitamin K and also produces enzymes such as lactase.
7. Intestines are the largest immune organ of the body. The chemical composition
of the cell wall of bifidobacter is able to stimulate the immune system of the host and
improves the immune status of the baby.
a) Probiotic organisms in the breast fed babies gut, increase the synthesis and secretion of
IgA
b) Protects mucosal surfaces against harmful bacterial invasion.
c) Balanced T helper cell response, imbalance leads to diseases such as allergy, Chron's
disease and Helicobacter pylori gastritis.
d) Intestinal tract is cleaned by probiotics, they go under a layer of curd on intestinal
walls attach themselves, and dislodge the accumulated decay.
e) Improves phagocytosis.
f) Increase proportion of T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells.
g) Decreased incidence of respiratory tract infection and dental caries.

Uses of probiotics:

 Treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome

 Auto immune disorders like lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis
 Lactose intolerance,
 Infective disorders like diarrhea, antibiotic associated diarrhea

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  High BP, treatment of high cholesterol,
 Cancer treatment
 Menopausal problems, Vaginosis
 Allergy, Atopic dermatitis and asthma ( 50% decrease in asthma incidence)
 General improvement in immune system
 Kidney stones, because of decreased oxalate absorption.
 Chrons disease
 Helicobacter pylori gastritis
 Recurrent UTI (urinary tract infection)
 Prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis

Market position:

The market of functional foods and probiotics is governed by several factors

especially the cultural base, geographical situation, demography, economy, level of
education in the society, government interests and so on. Japan is the leader in the
market, followed by Europe and America.

With an estimated demand for neutraceuticals and functional foods of between

US$4 and US$15 billion annually, Japan represents the most sophisticated market in the
world for this industry (Kotilainen et aI, 2006). The industry is expected to grow at a rate
of about 12 percent per year (SWMI, 2002). In Japan, functional food products have been
sold since the 1930s.

Approximately 2 million U.S. adults are using probiotics. Users are more likely to
be female (68 percent) compared to male (32 percent) and, on average, they are all
approximately 47 years old. They also tend to be more affluent and higher educated. In
United States, probiotic bacteria are sold in two different formats:
(1) Food and (2) Dietary supplements. Food products containing probiotic bacteria are
almost exclusively dairy products capitalizing in the traditional association of lactic acid
bacteria with fermented milk (yoghurt).

Status of probiotics in India:

India has a long tradition in using foods for their health-promoting or functional
properties, influenced by Ayuruedic medicine (FAO, 2004). Increasing health-awareness
of functional foods is further raising the demand for dietic foods and fortified natural
foods. Nine out of ten urban Indian consumers have been reported to generally choose
foods based on health and wellness benefits (Ciocca, 2003).

With its strong tradition of healthful eating, India ranks among the top ten nations
in buying functional foods (Watson, 2006). India's nutrition industry is generating
US$6.8 billion in annual revenue, and that number is expected to nearly double in the
next five years (Ismail, 2005). The functional food industry in India is strong and
growing with aims of becoming a major force in the international health foods market
(Kotilainen et al, 2006).

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 Robust industry growth in India is expected to continue in the functional foods
industry with productivity expected to grow by 68 percent in the five years from 2005 to
2011. Based on this productivity growth, the size of the nutrition industry will nearly
double to US$13.5 billion by 2011 (Ismail, 2005).

In India, probiotics are often used as animal feed supplements for cattle, poultry and
piggery. This requirement is also met by importing probiotics from other countries. It is
rarely used for human beings - Sporolac, Saccharomyces boulardii and yogurt (L
bulgaricus + S. thermophillus) are the most common ones. Sporolac is manufactured
using Sporolactobacilli. Lactobacilli solution is an example of a probiotic, usually given
to pediatric patients in India. The latest and recent addition to the list of probiotics in
India is ViBact (which is made up of genetically modified Bacillus mesentricus), which
acts as an alternate to B-complex capsules. In India, only sporulating lactobacilli are
produced and they are sold with some of the antibiotic preparations.

The Indian special barriers:

1. Low income of vast majority of the population;

2. Existence of unscrupulous manufacturers;
3. Lack of testing infrastructure to validate manufacturer’s claims;
4. Lack of physical infrastructure;
5. Lack of regulatory framework for functional foods; and
6. Some resistance to genetically modified foods.

Safety Considerations:

There is a concern over the use in foods of probiotic bacteria that contain specific
drug resistance genes. Bacteria, which contain transmissible drug resistance genes,
should not be used in foods. Currently, no standardized phenotypic methods are available
which are internationally recognized for lactobacilli and bifidobacteria (non-pathogens).
The Consultation recognizes the need for the development of standardized assays for the
determination of drug insensitivity or resistance profiles in lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.
When dealing with selection of probiotic strains, it is recommended that probiotic
bacteria should not harbour transmissible drug resistance genes encoding resistance to
clinically used drugs. Research is required relating to the antibiotic resistance of
lactobacilli and bifidobacteria and the potential for transmission of genetic elements to
other intestinal and / or food borne microorganisms.

Regulatory issues:

Government regulations differ among countries, however the status of probiotics as

a component in food is currently not established on an international basis. For the most
part, probiotics come under the food and dietary supplements because most are delivered
by mouth as foods. These are differentiated from the drugs in a number of ways,
especially with respect to claims. Drugs are allowed to claim effectiveness in the

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treatment, mitigation or cure of a disease. Whereas foods, feed additives and dietary
supplements can only make general health claims.

Appropriate labeling:

There is a need to accurately enumerate the probiotic bacteria in food products in

order to include them on the label. The label should state the viable concentration of each
probiotic present at the end of shelf-life.

Conclusion:

Introductions of products containing probiotics are on the rise, with many new
product introductions occurring in yoghurt, smoothies, spreads, cream cheeses, cereals
and shelf stable dressings In the United States, food products containing probiotics are
almost exclusively the dairy products. in an ideal position to help and guide their clients
toward appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic uses of probiotics that deliver the desired
beneficial health effects. There are many probiotic products at the market place and most
have supporting evidence behind the advertised health claims. New legislation governing
the labeling of probiotics, such as indicating the species, strain and number of bacteria
present is likely to come into force in the near future.

References:

Ciocca, L. (2003). “Key European and Asian Data Unveiled.” Functional Foods and
Neutraceuticals, October.

Drisko, .A., Giles, C.K., Bette, J. and Bischoff, B.J. (2003). Probiotics in Health
Maintenance and Disease Prevention. Rev. Alternative Med. Rev. Vol. 8 (2): 143 –
155.

Ellie Metchinkoff. (1908). The prolongation of life. Putmans Sons, New York: 151-183.

FAO (2004). The Market for Nontraditional Agricultural Exports.” Rome: Food and
Agricultural Organization.

Gilliland, S.E. (1989). Acidophilus milk products a review of potential benefits to

consumers. J.Dairy Sci. 72(10): 2483 -2494.

Ismail, A. (2005). “India: The Land of Opportunity.” Functional Foods and

Neutraceuticals, January.

Kotilainen, L; Rikka, R.; Catherine, R. and Eija, P. (2006). Health Enhancing Foods:
Opportunities for Strengthening the sector in developing countries. Agricultural
and Rural Development Discussion Paper 30, World Bank, Washington, DC. Pp.
1-95.

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Macfarlane, G.T. and Cumming, J.H. (1999). Probiotics and Prebiotics: can regulating
the activities of intestinal bacteria benefit health?. B.M.J. Vol. 318: 10.

Reid, G. (2006). Guidelines, science and human studies catch up with folklore. Paper
presented at Second YLFA International Workshop on Probiotic fermented milks
and health: from science to consumer, June 1, 2006, Vilnius, Poland.

SWMI (Scott Wolfe Management, Inc.) (2002). “Potential Benefits of Functional Foods
and Neutraceuticals to the Agri-Food Industry in Canada, Final report.”
Agricultural and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), March. Available at:
http://www.agr.gc.ca.

Watson, J. (2006). “Middle Class India Joins Global Organic Food Wave.” Terradaily
(UPI); Feb 28.

Young, J. (2000). The market for functional foods in Europe. In Functional Foods 2000:
Conference Proceedings, Angus, F. and Miller, C., Eds, Leatherlead Food
Research Association Publishing, Surry, UK, 14 – 22.