ABSTRACT
Contents 18.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 362 18.2 Factors Affecting Stability .............................................................................................. 362
18.2.1 Strain and Strain Production Conditions ............................................................ 363 18.2.1.1 Freezing ............................................................................................... 364 18.2.1.2 Drying .................................................................................................. 364
18.2.2 Matrix and Food Manufacturing Processes .........................................................365 18.2.2.1 Water Activity....................................................................................... 366 18.2.2.2 Oxygen Concentration ......................................................................... 366 18.2.2.3 Chemical and Microbiological Composition ........................................ 366
18.2.3 Storage .................................................................................................................367 18.3 Stability in Foods and Supplements ............................................................................... 368
18.3.1 Stability in Dairy Products ................................................................................. 368 18.3.2 Stability in Other Food Matrices ........................................................................370 18.3.3 Stability in Dry Form .........................................................................................371
18.4 Methods for Determining Stability .................................................................................371 18.4.1 Culture-Dependent Methods ...............................................................................372 18.4.2 Culture-Independent Methods ............................................................................373 18.4.3 Viability-Oriented Assays.....................................................................................374
18.5 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................375 References ................................................................................................................................375
