ABSTRACT
In recent years, there has been an increase in consumer search for healthy eating that promotes health and well-being. This demand has led to the creation of new market niches, consisting of foods with functional appeal. In this context, probiotics stand out, which are live microorganisms that, if consumed in adequate doses, confer health benefits. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera are more widespread in the market and more used in food industry. With the understanding of consumers about the benefits promoted by functional foods containing probiotics, its use expanded rapidly, with the dairy matrix being the most studied for the transport of these microorganisms. Dairy products such as cheese, fermented milk, yogurt, ice cream, infant formula and powdered milk are examples of these products. However, 200there is a demand for non-dairy products as a matrix of probiotic bacteria, in order to meet the portion of the population with lactose intolerance and allergy to dairy products, in addition to hypercholesterolemic, vegetarian, and those who do not consume dairy products due to habits cultural. Therefore, non-dairy foods such as fruits and vegetables, chocolates, baked, and meat products are also being studied and gaining notoriety as an alternative matrix to the incorporation of probiotics. The maintenance of these microorganisms during the production process, the product’s useful life and during the passage through the human GIT is a challenge for the industries. Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors can affect the viability of probiotic cells. Thus, technological alternatives such as microencapsulation have gained prominence for protecting cells from adverse conditions and, consequently, increasing the viability of microorganisms. The incorporation of probiotics in dairy and non-dairy foods points to a promising future, arousing the interest of researchers and industry in the development of new healthy products.
