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Examples of Probiotics in FoodsCheeseHere are some examples of probiotics in foods - cheeses, to be precise - showing just which probiotic might be lurking in that cheese topped cracker you're about to eat! Not everyone wants to take supplements. People often ask me what foods contain probiotics. Everyone has heard of yogurt but beyond that, many people are scratching their heads. Well, cheese is a good source of probiotics, particularly organic cheese. Cheeses made from raw milk and using the old techniques will always contain much more of the lactic acid producing bacteria that the human body is designed to eat. Cheese production uses a starter bacteria, but during the ripening process other, mainly lactic acid, bacteria spontaneously grow. These are often probiotic bacteria and are thought to arrive either via the milk or upon other ingredients and are often specific to a particular cheese producer. Bifidobacteria survives well in some Cheddar and Gouda cheese.1 Probiotic Lactobacillus strains have been incorporated into Cheddar cheese and assessed during ripening. It was found that whilst 2 of the Lactobacillus paracasei strains grew and sustained high viability the Lactobacillus salivarius strains died during the ripening process.1 An Australian experiment to show the possibilities of using cheese as a vehicle for probiotics proved that Cheddar cheese could be manufactured with Lactobacillus acidophilus 4962, Lactobacillus casei 279 and Bifidobacterium longum 1941 without losing viability of the probiotics or taste and texture of the cheese.2 A patent was taken out on some new strains of Lactobacillus paracasei which seem to be very suitable for making probiotic cheeses. In Swedish and Norwegian hard and semi-hard cheeses, the non starter bacteria are usually members of the Lactobacillus genus, in particular L paracasei. Cheddars have been found with Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis.3 These examples of probiotics in foods show what has always been in cheese - and now many cheese manufacturers are begining to deliberately produce probiotic cheeses. It's a tasty way of taking your health supplement! So go on - have another cheese and cracker - it's doing you good! 1. Stanton C, Gardiner G, Lynch PB, Collins JK, Fitzgerald G, Ross RP. Probiotic Cheese. International Dairy Journal, volume 8, Issues 5-6, 6 May 1998, pages 491-496. 2. Ong L, Henriksson A, Shah NP. Development of probiotic cheddar cheese containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lb casei, Lb paracasei and Bifidobacterium spp. and the influence of these bacteria on proteolytic patterns and production of organic acid. International Dairy Journal, Volume 16, issue 5, May 2006, pages 446-456 3. (WO/2002/018542) New Strains of Lactobacillus paracasei. World Intellectual Property Organization. TOP of Examples of Probiotics in Foods
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In the same experiment they combined Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFFTIŽ L10, Lactobacillus paracasei LAFFTIŽ L26 and Bifidobacterium lactis LAFFTIŽ B94 and again the cheese was a success.2
