Sea buckthorn: a potential prebiotic and promising functional ingredient for fermented dairy products

Fermented dairy products are significant in the market due to their high nutritional value and unique flavor. However, they have more opportunities for improvement to meet the urgent demand for functional dairy products. As a novel prebiotic, sea buckthorn is widely used as a beneficial ingredient. In this review, we not only discuss its positive effects on the gut microbiota but also clarify its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Significantly, the unique benefits of sea buckthorn in enhancing the nutritional value of fermented dairy products, improving their physical properties, and enhancing the vitality of probiotics are also demonstrated. Furthermore, we point out the current limitations of sea buckthorn and recommend further research into sea buckthorn bioactive components to stimulate the production of functional dairy products.