The increase in health awareness, changes in eating habits, and improved living standards have raised the demand for probiotic-based functional foods (Granato et al., 2010). Functional foods may provide added functional benefits beyond the fundamental role of providing nutrients for consumers' well-being. The most widespread functional ingredients, along with probiotics, are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), prebiotics/synbiotics, vitamins, proteins, fibers, and antioxidants (Granato et al., 2020). Probiotics are living bacteria that, when given in sufficient quantities, provide health advantages (FAO/ WHO, 2001). The most widely used microbial genera possessing probiotic attributes are lactic acid bacteria (Singh et al., 2020). Most have been granted "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) status by different regulatory agencies, which refers to few or no health risks to the consumers after ingestion (Penner et al., 2005;Ranadheera et al., 2010). Some other bacteria and yeasts used as probiotics are mentioned in Table 1.The possible route for administering probiotics is oral, vaginal, topical, and rectal (Sanders, 2009). Probiotics' ability to maintain gut microbiota balance, immune system, and overall intestinal health and physiology is well described in the medical sector (Bhushan et al., 2019;Valero-Cases et al., 2020). Other health benefits linked with probiotic consumption are alleviation of lactose intolerance
