Following significant developments in recent understanding of milk systems and an explosion in interest in the use of probiotics and prebiotics as functional foods Probiotic Dairy Products covers advancements in the dairy industry and reviews the latest scientific developments in regard to the ‘functional’ aspects of dairy and fermented milk products and their ingredients.

Probiotic Dairy Products includes:

• Production systems
• Gut microflora
• Genomic characterization of probiotic micro-organisms
• Physical properties associated with health claims
• Maintenance of the viability of probiotic products
• National and international statutory regulations

Contents

Microbiota of the Human Gut

• The human gastrointestinal tract and its microbiota
• Functions of the gastrointestinal microbiota
• Influences on the GI tract and its microbiota
• Beneficial microbiota: probiotics and health aspects

Genomic Characterization of Starter Cultures

• The "Omic" approaches
• State of the art

Production and Maintenance of Viability of Probiotic Micro-organisms

• Probiotic Micro-organisms
• Economic value
• Types of probiotic dairy product
• Viability of probiotic micro-organisms
• Methods to improve the viability of probiotic micro-organisms in the product

Current Legislation of Probiotic Products

• The situation in the European Union
• The US situation
• The Japanese model
• Codex Alimentarius

Enumeration and Identification of Mixed Probiotic and Lactic Acid Bacteria Starter Cultures

• Classic approaches to LAB enumeration and differentiation
• Current approaches to LAB enumeration
• Modern genetic approaches to LAB differentiation

Prebiotic Ingredients with Emphasis on Galactoologosaccharides

• Classification of prebiotics
• Prominence of prebiotics in FOSHU
• Galacto-oligosaccharides as prebiotics
• Focus on FOS

Health claims associated with Probiotics

• Probiotic use in GI tract conditions
• Probiotic use in extra-gastrointestinal conditions

Production of Vitamins, Exopolysaccharides and Bacteriocins by Probiotic Bacteria

• Vitamin production by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Bifidobacterium
• Exopolysaccharides (EPS) production by (LAB) and Bifidobacterium
• Production of bacteriocins by probiotic cultures

Future Development of Probiotic Dairy Products

• Recent EU research activities in the gut health area: the PROEUHEALTH cluster
• Beyond PROEUHEALTH: from products to mechanisms and back
• The strategic leap towards mechanistic studies: future target areas for research
• The future functional food industry will approach the consumer in a different way

Index

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