Emergence Of A Quality Assurance Program For Probiotic Supplemented Foods

In recent year consumer’s inclination towards natural and health-promoting foods have led to projection of probiotics as a new ingredient in functional food market. In absence of any worldwide regulation, probiotic containing foods available in the market are often of poor quality and did not meet the desired level of viable microorganisms, required for exhibiting health benefits. Presently, no globally accepted regulations for probiotic containing foods have been established, resulting in discrepancies in views, perception and quality of foods. In the present article an endeavor has been made to highlight the legislative views of different countries around the world regarding probiotic foods and prerequisites for identity of a product as a probiotic food have also been delineated.