ABSTRACT
Research on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and probiotics is nowadays an interdisciplinary fi eld going beyond the fundamental microbiology. The commercial importance of certain microbial metabolites (i.e., lactic acid) has led to the use of these microorganisms as “biological factories” of valuable products. On the other hand, the worldwide ecological conscience about the importance of reducing industrial contamination has stimulated the use of certain effl uents as “non-traditional” culture media for LAB and probiotics. This approach has two advantages: the decrease of industrial costs derived from decontamination of effl uents and the lower cost of culture media.
