Dried cell-free fraction of fermented milks: new functional additives for the food industry

Abstract

The claimed health benefits of fermented functional foods areexerted either directly through ingested live microorganisms(probiotics) or indirectly as a result of ingestion of microbialmetabolites produced during the fermentation process. Severalreports are emerging concerning the immunomodulating capacityof the cell-free fraction of fermented milks. The solublemetabolites present in the whole non-bacterial fraction couldbe easily spray-dried and added as dried powders to foodmatrixes whose chemical composition or technological processof manufacture would seriously threaten the viability ofprobiotic bacteria. The relative technological easiness for incorporatingthe same biologically active metabolites presentin fermented milks, but as a dried cell-free fraction, into otherfood matrixes opens the doors to the development of a greatnew variety of functional foods using food matrixes notsuitable nowadays for viable probiotic bacteria. The abilityto bring functionality to ordinary food through the incorporationof ingredients from natural sources becomes increasinglyattractive to the food industry.