Methods for improving survival of probiotics against harsh environments

Probiotics are live microorganisms which pass through the gastrointestinal tract and survive the harsh environments of the GI tract tolerating low pH in stomach, bile salts, limited space preoccupied by the pathogens etc. Therapeutic benefits have led to an increase in the incorporation of probiotic bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in dairy products, especially fermented dairy products. Encapsulation techniques enhanced the survival of probiotic cultures compared to free cells in different dairy products stored for a longer periods. It also protects the bacteria from harsh conditions (low pH, antibiotics, bacteriocins, bile salt concentration etc) in the gut. Different coating materials for encapsulations for various bacterial cultures including probiotics has been a common practice for extending their storage life in vitro and also survivability in the GI tract in vivo to provide the health benefits to the consumers consuming different functional fermented dairy foods.