VALENTINI SANTARMAKI1, IOANNA PRAPA1, GREGORIA MITROPOULOU1, MARIA LOLA1, GIANNIS FISEKIS1, ILEKTRA STYLIANOPOULOU1,
KATERINA SPYRIDOPOULOU1, AMALIA E. YANNI2, MARIRENA GRIGORIOU1, GEORGE SKAVDIS1, NIKOLAOS KOSTOMITSOPOULOS3, VAIOS
T. KARATHANOS2, EUGENIA BEZIRTZOGLOU4, PANAYIOTIS PANAS5, YIANNIS KOURKOUTAS1*
*Corresponding author
1. Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
2. Laboratory of Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry of Foods, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University of Athens, Greece
3. Center of Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
4. Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
5. QLCon, Industrial Research Services, Patras, Greece
An increasing trend in developing novel functional food ingredients containing probiotic microorganisms tailored for maintenance of digestive health is witnessed today. In this vein, the use of natural food components, containing prebiotic dietary fibers and associated with health effects, as immobilization supports for selected wild-type probiotic strains isolated by traditional fermented foods and human samples, directing at preparation of readily processable functional food ingredients targeting maintenance of digestive health was of interest. The technology developed is expected to result in successful marketable “ready-to-use” beneficial constitutents previously tested in a series of food applications, achieving enhanced probiotic cell viability during processing and storage, as well as during digestion.
More Info: DEVELOPING FUNCTIONAL FOOD INGREDIENTS FOR MAINTAINING DIGESTIVE HEALTH