Probiotics: Gaining Popularity

People around the world are now paying closer attention to the nutritional profile of foods, including the composition of their ingredients.

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This has put additional pressure on regional, national and even international level food and beverage manufacturers, as they have to respond to the renewed market forces by reducing or cutting out fat, salt and sugar, as well as preservatives, additives and colorings. This is resulting in vigorous market research, and the launching of a slew of healthy foods.

People's rising consciousness about healthy foods is reflected in the growing popularity of probiotic foods, which are nowadays emerging as an important category of food supplement in India. Probiotic elements in dairy products have become part of our diet. They are present in milk, yogurt and ice cream products.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are live, non-pathogenic microorganisms that benefit the consumers' digestive system. People often think that bacteria and other microorganisms are harmful "germs," but there are 'friendly bacteria that are normally present in our intestines and help in digestion of food, in destroying disease-causing microorganisms, and in producing important vitamins. Many of the microorganisms in probiotic products are the same as or similar to microorganisms that naturally live in our bodies. In simple terms, probiotics are live micro-organisms which, when ingested in adequate amounts as a single strain or as a combination of strains, confer one or more specified health benefits to the consumers.

Types of Probiotics

Our digestive systems have around four hundred different types of probiotic bacteria, and the best known is Lactobacillus acidophilus.