Probiotic Fortified Foods - Current Problems and Threats

Abstract Natural fermented foods is one of the basic components of the human diet worldwide due to its high safety and many health benefits. However, now probiotic - fortified foods is becoming increasingly important but the use of probiotics in food production is associated with many challenges. It is crucial to ensure adequate viability of probiotic strains in the food product and later in various sections of the human gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics are exposed to numerous stress factors that depend on the food matrix, production and storage conditions. The article describes factors that can affect the viability of probiotics, e.g. temperature, drying conditions, aw, oxygen level, chemical additives, pH, titratable acidity, the probiotic strain and its interactions with the natural microflora of the food product, and others. Various methods of their protection were also analyzed. Attention was paid to microencapsulation of probiotics with protective factors or prebiotics in various chemical matrices as well as freeze-drying and spray-drying.