Application of lactic acid bacteria in the development of novel and functional foods and pharmaceutical products

GARRO M.S.

Mangalore. Karnataka. India

Simposio; International Symposium on Sustainable Fisheries Development for Food and Health Security; 2006

Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, College of Fisheries

Functional foods include a variety of foods that by their characteristics promote the health of consumers beyond their basic nutritional requirements. The tendency of national and international markets is presently directed towards these types of foods whose active components reduce the risk of disease and improve the quality of life, thus relating Nutrition and Health. In this context, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an important role. The current trend of biotherapeutical products and the interest of the food industry in the development of nutraceuticals have led to the use of adequate species of LAB. This term is intimately associated with bacteria involved in food and feed fermentation, including related bacteria normally associated with the (healthy) mucosal surfaces of humans and animals.