Yogurt as probiotic carrier food

This paper reviews the history of the development of probiotics and the eff ect on the human gastrointestinal microecology. Furthermore, the applicatio n of probiotics to yogurt, commonly referred to as bio-yogurt and the effec tiveness of yogurt as probiotic carrier food are also discussed. The paper also reviews the literature explaining, in essence, the concept of 'therape utic minimum' levels and the importance of the survival of probiotic microo rganisms in food products. The production of bio-yogurt, survival of probio tic species in yogurt during retail storage, technical considerations for i ncorporating probiotic microorganisms into yogurt, starter culture technolo gy and enumeration of the probiotic organisms are also reviewed. (C) 2001 E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.