ABSTRACT
Throughout history new types of food, food ingredients or ways of producing food have been developed all corners of the globe. Increasing globalization, growing ethnic diversity and the search for new sources of nutrients are the key drivers for the development of novel foods and functional foods. Undoubtedly, novel foods and functional foods are different concept. Since understanding that foods and food ingredients may have a more beneficial effect on our health than we imagine, the novel foods are largely expected to also have functional characteristics. Among the functional foods, probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic products occupy a significant place. Increasing health concerns globally coupled with the efficacy of probiotics is expected to be a major driving factor for the overall probiotics market growth. During the last two decades, efforts to improve health and well-being of people by modulating gut microflora have been intensified. Although the gut microflora is modulated by ingesting beneficial bacteria, satisfactory direct evidence of a cause-effect relationship between increased number of probiotics in the gut and beneficial biological effect is yet to be demonstrated.
