Studies on Process Standardization and Organoleptic Evaluation of Cereal based Probiotic Beverage

Abstract

Probiotic” is used to refer to cultures of live microorganisms which, when administered to humans or animals, improve properties of indigenous microbiota. In the food industry, the term is described as “live microbial food ingredients that are beneficial to health” (Clancy, 2003). The term probiotic was technically defined by an Expert Committee as „„live microorganisms which upon ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond inherent general nutrition‟‟. Species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are most commonly used probiotics, but the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bacillus species are also used as a probiotics (Tomisik and Tomasik, 2003).