Development of probiotic products for nutritional requirements of specific human populations

Abstract

Probiotic products constitute one of the most successful segments of the functional foods market. Recent regulations developed in different countries require extensive documentation from human studies before a health claim can be approved for a food product. This gives a new direction to this research area and underlines the need for products with a high functional efficacy. Most of the current probiotic products target the general population, whilst those formulated for specific human groups are still lacking. Some individuals or patient groups present particular nutritional needs and require nutritionally adapted products, thus constituting an opportunity for the development of specifically formulated foods. In this context, it is critical to identify both the target populations that may benefit the most from such products, and the specific probiotic properties that fulfil the requirements of such populations. Human groups that can benefit from this joint development include groups of extreme age and patients suffering from diseases in which intestinal microbiota and/or immune modulation may have beneficial effects. The development of such target‐specific probiotic foods, by including strains rationally selected for a specific health benefit, tailor‐made for a certain target population, into nutritionally optimal products constitutes a challenge for the food industry.

Capability of exopolysaccharide-producing Lactobacillus paraplantarum BGCG11 and its non-producing isogenic strain NB1, to counteract the effect of enteropathogens upon the epithelial cell line HT29-MTX

“…Probiotic bacteria most commonly used for human consumption belong to genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and milk products are the most common vehicles used for their delivery (Prasanna, Grandison, & Charalampopoulos, 2014). It is worth noting that a rational selection of the best probiotic candidate(s) for a target human population(s) is highly recommended in order to obtain functional foods supporting health claims (Arboleya et al, 2012). Then these probiotics must be considered at strain level and only certain ones showing beneficial attributes should be considered for further applications.…”

Microbial Targets for the Development of Functional Foods Accordingly with Nutritional and Immune Parameters Altered in the Elderly

“…Extending the period of good health in this population would both increase quality of life and reduce health care costs. Therefore, the development of functional foods specifically targeted to this group of individuals may constitute an interesting strategy [3].…”

Understanding heterogeneity among elderly consumers: an evaluation of segmentation approaches in the functional food market

“…Therefore, marketers are starting to focus their efforts on the unique needs of the elderly, in particular in the tourism domain (4,5) . For many other domains, including the food domain, the elderly market is still under development (6,7) . The food market holds great potential for targeting the elderly population.…”