Lactic Acid Bacteria as Source of Functional Ingredients

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widespread microorganisms which can be found in any environment rich mainly in carbohydrates, such as plants, fermented foods and the mucosal surfaces of humans, terrestrial and marine animals. In the human and animal bodies, LAB are part of the normal microbiota or microflora, the ecosystem that naturally inhabits the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts, which is comprised by a large number of different bacterial species with a diverse amount of strains [1,2].