Isolation and Characterization of Probiotic Lactobacillus spp. from Fermented Food Sources

Over recent decades, the development and consumption of functional probiotic foods has been increasing alongside awareness of their beneficial effects in promoting gut health as well as in disease prevention and therapy, and this has raised interest in health-promoting foods. Major probiotic mechanisms of action include enhancement of the epithelial barrier, increased adhesion to intestinal mucosa, and concomitant inhibition of pathogen adhesion, competitive exclusion of pathogenic microorganisms, production of anti-bacterial substances and modulation of the immune system (Bermudez-Brito et al., 2012). Probiotic microorganisms can shape the immune system both at the local and systemic level, which will allow future probiotics as treatments for many diseases.