The positive impact of probiotic strains on human health has become more evident than ever before. Often delivered through food, dietary products, supplements, and drugs, different legislations for safety and efficacy issues have been prepared. Furthermore, regulatory agencies have addressed various approaches toward these products, whether they authorize claims mentioning a disease’s diagnosis, prevention, or treatment. Due to the diversity of bacteria and yeast strains, strict approaches have been designed to assess for side effects and post-market surveillance. One of the most essential delivery systems of probiotics is within food, due to the great beneficial health effects of this system compared to pharmaceutical products and also due to the increasing importance of food and nutrition. Modern lifestyle or various diseases lead to an imbalance of the intestinal flora. Nonetheless, as the amount of probiotic use needs accurate calculations, different factors should also be taken into consideration. One of the novelties of this review is the presentation of the beneficial effects of the administration of probiotics as a potential adjuvant therapy in COVID-19. Thus, this paper provides an integrative overview of different aspects of probiotics, from human health care applications to safety, quality, and control.

One of the most promising areas of development in the human nutritional field over the last two decades has been the use of probiotics and recognition of their role in human health and disease. Lactic acid-producing bacteria are the most commonly used probiotics in foods. It is well known that probiotics have a number of beneficial health effects in humans and animals. They play an important role in the protection of the host against harmful microorganisms and also strengthen the immune system. Some probiotics have also been found to improve feed digestibility and reduce metabolic disorders. They must be safe, acid and bile tolerant, and able to adhere and colonize the intestinal tract. The means by which probiotic bacteria elicit their health effects are not understood fully, but may include competitive exclusion of enteric pathogens, neutralization of dietary carcinogens, production of antimicrobial metabolites, and modulation of mucosal and systemic immune function. So far, lactic acid bacteria isolated only from the human gastrointestinal tract are recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) for use as probiotics by humans. However, more and more studies suggest that strains considered to be probiotics could be isolated from fermented products of animal origin, as well as from non-dairy fermented products. Traditional fermented products are a rich source of microorganisms, some of which may exhibit probiotic properties. They conform to the FAO/WHO recommendation, with one exception; they have not been isolated from human gastrointestinal tract. In light of extensive new scientific evidence, should the possibility of changing the current FAO/WHO requirements for the definition of probiotic bacteria be considered?

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Oscypek and korycinski are traditional Polish cheeses, exclusively produced in Tatra and in Podlasie region, respectively, produced from raw, unpasteurized milk. The 29 Lactobacillus plantarum strains were isolated on MRS agar from 12 cheese samples and used as a material for study. The main purpose of the work was to assess the antimicrobial properties and recognition of selected strains for the unique antagonistic activity and preservation role in food. It has been found that the highest antimicrobial activity was observed in the case of L. monocytogenes strains; however, the level of that activity was different depending on the Lb. plantarum strain. Strains from oscypek produced broad spectrum, and a few strains isolated from korycinski cheese produced a narrow spectrum of antimicrobial compounds, other than organic acids and hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, the antagonistic activity shown by Lb. plantarum strains is connected with the source from which a given strain was isolated. Strains isolated from oscypek cheese represented stronger activity against L. monocytogenes, whereas strains isolated from korycinski cheese were more active against E. coli. Strains Lb. plantarum Os13 and Kor14 could be considered as good candidates for protective cultures to extend durability of food products.

Kombucha is a healthy beverage which is a final result of tea fermentation by adding a starter culture of the acetic acid bacteria and yeasts. The effect of fermentation conditions on physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of Kombucha tea beverages was evaluated with emphasis placed on determining sugars and organic acids content, including pro-health glucuronic acid. Fermentation process was conducted for 10 days at 20°C, 25°C and 30°C. The optimal conditions for the fermentation of Kombucha tea beverages were a temperature of 25°C and a period of 10 days which allowed to retrieve a product with good physicochemical, microbiological and sensory quality. The content of glucuronic acid increased during fermentation at all temperatures reaching the highest, on the 10th day of fermentation at 25°C. It was observed that all beverages were a good overall quality, whereas Kombucha fermented at 25°C was assessed as the highest.Contenido de ácido y efectos de las condiciones de fermentación en las propiedades fisicoquímicas, microbiológicas y sensoriales de bebidas de té de Kombucha RESUMEN La fermentación de té, mediante la incorporación de cultivo iniciador de bacterias acidoacéticas y levaduras, produce la saludable bebida llamada Kombucha. Para efectos de este estudio, la valoración del efecto que las condiciones de fermentación tienen en las propiedades fisicoquímicas, microbiológicas y sensoriales de bebidas de té de Kombucha se centró en la determinación de azúcares y de la concentración de ácidos orgánicos, incluyendo el beneficioso ácido glucurónico. El proceso de fermentación se extendió 10 días a temperaturas de 20°C, 25°C y 30°C, constatándose que una temperatura de 25°C y un tiempo de 10 días constituyen condiciones óptimas para fermentar bebidas de té de Kombucha, ya que el producto resultante presentó buena calidad fisicoquímica, microbiológica y sensorial. A todas las temperaturas probadas, se comprobó que durante el proceso de fermentación aumentó la concentración de ácido glucurónico, alcanzando el contenido más elevado en el décimo día de fermentación a una temperatura de 25°C. Aunque se verificó que todas las bebidas presentaban buena calidad general, el té de Kombucha fermentado a 25°C mostró la valoración más alta.

Food waste occurs at all stages of the food chain, but it is households in developed countries that have the largest share in the production of food waste. In order to develop and implement effective programs to combat consumers throwing away food, the factors that determine food waste in a household must first be known. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of food waste by Polish consumers and identify the effect of demographics on the respondents’ behavior related to food management. The results show that factors such as age, gender, place of residence, and education influence consumer behavior in terms of food management at home. It was found that young people and those with university-level education were more likely to buy unplanned products and waste food. The causes of the risk of wasting food were identified and their frequency determined. The most common causes for the risk of food waste include food being spoiled, missing the expiry date, and failure to arrange food in cabinets according to the expiry date. Bread was the most frequently wasted product, especially by young respondents.

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Twenty‐five strains, isolated from raw, non‐pasteurised, organic whey samples, were identified phenotypically and genotypically. Biochemical tests were performed, and enzyme profiles, antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial properties were investigated. Sixteen strains were identified as genus Lactobacillus. Based on 16S rDNA gene sequence, the strains were identified as Lb. plantarum and Lb. fermentum. All of the strains had β‐galactosidase activity, and some of them reduced nitrate content. All strains utilised carbohydrates. The tested strains were characterised by low or average lipolytic and esterolytic activity. Moreover, the strains showed low proteolytic activity which is advantageous for their use as starter cultures for foods with low protein content. Strains Lb. fermentum S20, SM1, SM3, S2R and Lb. plantarum SM5 produced harmful N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase; moreover, the strain S20 produced also β‐glucuronidase. None of the strains produced α‐chymotrypsin. In phenotypic studies, most of the test strains were susceptible to gentamicin, ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, penicillin and erythromycin. Strains Lb. plantarum S1 and Lb. fermentum S4, S7, S8, S10, SM1 and SM3 did not possess any transfer resistance genes. Antagonistic activity of the culture LAB strains was assessed as high or moderate in relation to the indicator strains, with the greatest zones of inhibition for E.coli and the smallest for L. monocytogenes ATCC 15313. This study reveals that the LAB strains isolated from organic whey have high potential for food application. Some strains of species Lb. fermentum (S4, S7, S8, S10) have been identified as the best candidates.