Probiotic Supplements and Food Products: A Comparative Approach

Abstract

Probiotics have a long overall history of traditional application. Currently they are mainly used as processed foods or nutritional supplements due to customers'awareness about the linkage of diet and health. The live bacteria exist in the probiotic products are mainly lactic acid bacteria, including lactobacilli, bifidobacteriaand Enterococci. Nowadays, the probiotic markets have a considerable markets share either in food or drug industry. However, the impact of ingesting probiotics via food products or drug supplements is not actually the same from consumer point of view as well as from efficacy. In this article, drug supplements and food products containing probiotic microorganisms are considered in a comparative approach from different aspects including functional and efficacy, hedonistic and economical standpoints.