Use of symbiotics (probiotics and prebiotics) to improve the safety of foods

Abstract

In recent years, the number of functional dairy products enriched with live probiotic microorganisms has increased exponentially since it is know that these can confer health benefits to the host. One of the most important mechanisms by which probiotics can act in the prevention of disease is through their capacity to produce antimicrobial substances such as lactic acid and bacteriocins. These can prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in foods, meaning that probiotics could therefore be used as a tool to prevent foodborne diseases. Currently, some foods are supplemented with prebiotics (non-digestible oligosaccharides) in order to favor the growth of selected probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract. We discuss the current and future uses of synbiotics (probiotics and prebiotics) in order to increase the safety of food.