What are the main obstacles to turning foods healthier through probiotics incorporation? a review of functionalization of foods by probiotics and bioactive metabolites

• Published in: Food research international Vol. 176; p. 113785
• Main Authors: Penha Rodrigues Pereira, Eliene, Silva da Graça, Juliana, Manfrinato Ferreira, Beatriz, Fasura Balthazar, Celso, Xavier-Santos, Douglas, França Bezerril, Fabrícia, Magnani, Marciane, Sant'Ana, Anderson S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Food processing; Functional products; Microencapsulation; Probioactive; Probiotics; Probiotics; Microencapsulation; Food processing; Probioactive; Functional products
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113785

[Display omitted] •Food functionalization with probiotics faces obstacles mainly during processing;•Viability of probiotics challenge the industry of functional foods;•Microencapsulation may help food functionalization trough probiotics;•Probiotic derived bioactive compounds should be considered for food functionalization; Functional foods are gaining significant attention from people all over the world. When added to foods, probiotic bacteria can turn them healthier and confer beneficial health effects, such as improving the immune system and preventing cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. However, adding probiotics to foods is a challenging task. The processing steps often involve high temperatures, and intrinsic food factors, such as pH, water activity, dissolved oxygen, post-acidification, packaging, and cold storage temperatures, can stress the probiotic strain and impact its viability. Moreover, it is crucial to consider these factors during food product development to ensure the effectiveness of the probiotic strain. Among others, techniques such as microencapsulation and lyophilization, have been highlighted as industrial food functionalization strategies. In this review, we present and discuss alternatives that may be used to functionalize foods by incorporating probiotics and/or delivering bioactive compounds produced by probiotics. We also emphasize the main challenges in different food products and the technological characteristics influencing them. The knowledge available here may contribute to overcoming the practical obstacles to food functionalization with probiotics.