Probiotics are live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Besides the well-known and tested lactic acid bacteria, yeasts may also be probiotics. The subject of probiotic and potentially probiotic yeasts has been developing and arising potential for new probiotic products with novel properties, which are not offered by bacteria-based probiotics available on the current market. The paper reviews the first probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, its characteristics, pro-healthy activities and application in functional food production. This species offers such abilities as improving digestion of certain food ingredients, antimicrobial activities and even therapeutic properties. Besides Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii, on this background, novel yeasts with potentially probiotic features are presented. They have been intensively investigated for the last decade and some species have been observed to possess probiotic characteristics and abilities. There are yeasts from the genera Debaryomyces, Hanseniaspora, Pichia, Meyerozyma, Torulaspora, etc. isolated from food and environmental habitats. These potentially probiotic yeasts can be used for production of various fermented foods, enhancing its nutritional and sensory properties. Because of the intensively developing research on probiotic yeasts in the coming years, we can expect many discoveries and possibly even evolution in the segment of probiotics available on the market.

Summary Arabitol belongs to the pentitol family and is used in the food industry as a sweetener and in the production of human therapeutics as an anticariogenic agent and an adipose tissue reducer. It can also be utilized as a substrate for chemical products such as arabinoic and xylonic acids, propylene, ethylene glycol, xylitol and others. It is included on the list of 12 building block C3‐C6 compounds, designated for further biotechnological research. This polyol can be produced by yeasts in the processes of bioconversion or biotransformation of waste materials from agriculture, the forest industry (l‐arabinose, glucose) and the biodiesel industry (glycerol). The present review discusses research on native yeasts from the genera Candida, Pichia, Debaryomyces and Zygosaccharomyces as well as genetically modified strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which are able to utilize biomass hydrolysates to effectively produce l‐ or d‐arabitol. The metabolic pathways of these yeasts leading from sugars and glycerol to arabitol are presented. Although the number of reports concerning microbial production of arabitol is rather limited, the research on this topic has been growing for the last several years, with researchers looking for new micro‐organisms, substrates and technologies.

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The influence of elicitation, time, and temperature of germination on the biological activity of wheat sprouts was studied. The total phenolics content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), and microbiological purity of seeds of three wheat cultivars elicited withSaccharomyces cerevisiae(Y) andSalix daphnoidesbark extracts (W) and their mixture (1 : 1) germinated in different conditions were studied. The increase of germination time caused an increase the TPC and AA for all tested wheat cultivars. Germination temperature also influenced these parameters. Generally the highest values in TPC were obtained for sprouts germinated at 20°C. This tendency was found for all tested wheat cultivars. The highest values of TPC and AA were obtained after elicitation byS. daphnoidesbark extract. The results of microbiological examination showed that generally for seeds germinated at lower temperature (15°C and 20°C) and during 2 and 4 days the molds were not detected and the levels of aerobic bacteria did not exceed the usually accepted limits. Taking into account both biological activity and microbiological purity of samples the best quality sprouts were in the most cases obtained for wheat germinated during four days at 20°C and elicited by W.

Probiotics improve consumers' health and additionally may positively influence the microbiological and organoleptic quality of food. In the study, legume sprouts were inoculated with Lactobacilllus plantarum 299V to produce a new functional product ensuring the growth and survival of the probiotic and high microbiological quality of the final product. Legume sprouts, which are an excellent source of nutrients, were proposed as alternative carriers for the probiotic. The key factors influencing the production of probiotic-rich sprouts include the temperature (25°C) of sprouting and methods of inoculation (soaking seeds in a suspension of probiotics). Compared to the control sprouts, the sprouts enriched with the probiotic were characterized by lower mesophilic bacterial counts. In the case of fresh and stored probiotic-rich sprouts, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) accounted for a majority of total microorganisms. The Lb. plantarum population was also stable during the cold storage. The high count of LAB observed in the digest confirmed the fact that the studied sprouts are effective carriers for probiotics and ensure their survival in the harmful conditions of the digestive tract in an in vitro model. Enrichment of legume sprouts with probiotics is a successful attempt and yields products for a new branch of functional foods.

Summary Antifungal effectiveness of potassium sorbate (KS) incorporated into edible coating composed of carboxymethyl cellulose and candelilla wax blend (CMC‐CnW) was tested on apricots inoculated with fungi. The efficiency of KS‐added coating was higher than KS‐free formulation. The antifungal action of KS‐free coating was likely associated with a reduced access of oxygen to the infection sites and, consequently, modification of the gaseous atmosphere within the fruit tissues. Rhizopus nigricans as the fastest growing fungus was the most resistant to the coating treatment. In turn, KS‐loaded coating was very effective against Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructigena. Coating significantly delayed softening of apricots. The results of this study demonstrate that KS can be incorporated into coating to control common fungal diseases of apricots. Nevertheless, the CMC‐CnW coating treatment inhibited the respiratory functions and caused deterioration in the fruit sensory quality.