Evaluation of Technological and Probiotic Abilities of Local Lactic Acid Bacteria

The definition of probiotics has been the topic of much discussion and the most recent definition from FAO/WHO stipulates that probiotics are “live microorganisms, administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”. Dairy products remain one of the most important sources of lactic acid bacteria. Today, these kinds of bacteria are of increasing interest as they are considered functional foods when combined with lactic acid bacteria. The identification and classification of isolates made difficult the research, since the benefits should only be pertinent to specific isolates. However, bacteria strains have a certain number of potential and well-established benefits. They may play a role in preventing and treating diarrhea and act on the immune system, improve lactose digestion, help the body to resist, and fight infection. Further researches need to be conducted to confirm the roles that lactic acid bacteria may play in antitumor effects, hyper cholesterol effects, preventing urogenital infections, alleviating constipation, and treating food allergies. In addition to food shelf-life and safety, consumers are showing interest in the relationship and bioactive roles of “functional foods’ in preventing or managing non-transmissible chronic diseases. Since then, increased demand for non-dairy probiotic products has come from vegetarianism, milk cholesterol content, and lactose intolerance. Therefore, the establishment of the probiotic functional characteristics of isolated strains must be a key factor in the search for probiotic microorganisms and their inclusion in the food product design. This review presents a basic overview of the evaluation of technological and probiotic abilities of lactic acid bacteria strains and the determination of their probiotic properties.