Probiotic Delivery through Non-Dairy Plant-Based Food Matrices

Abstract

Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Traditionally, dairy products are the major and most popular probiotic carriers. At present, there is a growing demand for non-dairy probiotic products. Both fermented and non-fermented non-dairy plant-based food products are becoming highly appealing to both dairy and non-dairy consumers worldwide. Non-dairy plant-based food matrices such as fruits, vegetables, plant-based milk, cereals, and legumes have been used successfully in producing probiotic products with the minimum recommended viable probiotic numbers at the time of consumption. However, due to the exclusion of dairy, whether these food matrices can enhance the functional properties of probiotics such as gastrointestinal survival and immune-enhancing effects needs a thorough investigation. Hence, this review focuses on some of the popular non-dairy plant-based probiotic food products and their microbiological quality characteristics in terms of maintaining probiotic viability during product storage. Their gastrointestinal tolerance in these products, other functional properties, and product qualities have also been briefly discussed.

Investigation of the Survival of Probiotic Bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum in Free and Microencapsulated Forms in Barley Malt Extract

“…Compounds such as raffinose and dietary fiber are found in legumes, cereals, and fruits and are known to protect probiotics in various products (26). Cereals, legumes, fruits, and vegetables also contain non-digestible fibers such as cellulose, which may protect probiotic microorganisms in the intestinal tract (27).…”

Ingredients, Processing, and Fermentation: Addressing the Organoleptic Boundaries of Plant-Based Dairy Analogues

“…These include the modification of sensory characteristics such as acid production, masking or eliminating native off-flavours in plant materials, and secreting exopolysaccharides (EPS) that thicken the plant matrix to emulate the creamy texture of dairy products [ 13 , 124 ]. Fermentation has been shown to improve the nutritional content of plant-based dairy analogues by increasing the bioavailability of nutrients, reducing antinutritive components and/or allergens, as well as additional probiotic functions [ 4 , 125 ]. It also improves the safety and shelf life of these analogues through acidification, the generation of antimicrobial compounds, and competition with undesirable microorganisms [ 125 , 126 , 127 ].…”

“…Fermentation has been shown to improve the nutritional content of plant-based dairy analogues by increasing the bioavailability of nutrients, reducing antinutritive components and/or allergens, as well as additional probiotic functions [ 4 , 125 ]. It also improves the safety and shelf life of these analogues through acidification, the generation of antimicrobial compounds, and competition with undesirable microorganisms [ 125 , 126 , 127 ].…”

Lactic Acid Bacteria-Fermentable Cereal- and Pseudocereal-Based Beverages

“…Fermented plant-based beverages are often enriched with prebiotic oligofructose and inulin, which stimulate the growth of LAB [2,3,34,155,[172][173][174]. Thus, some cereal-or pseudocereal-based beverages are advantageous over others due to the natural content of prebiotic substances, which in the case of cereal products include water-soluble fiber (e.g., βglucan), oligosaccharides (galacto-and fructooligosaccharides), and resistant starch [3,33].…”