ABSTRACT
Probiotics are described as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benet on the host.”1 Examples of health benets associated with the consumption of probiotics include a decrease in rotavirus shedding in infants,2 reductions in antibiotic-associated diarrhea,3 reduction in the incidence of childhood atopic eczema,4,5 and management of inammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease.6 Foods containing probiotics, such as fermented milks, yogurts, and cheese, fall within the functional food category, which includes any fresh or processed food claimed to have health-promoting and/or disease-preventing properties beyond the basic nutritional function of supplying nutrients. The area of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics represent the largest segment of the functional food market in Europe, Japan, and Australia.
