Molecular Insights into Bile Salt Hydrolase-Positive Lactobacilli

In recent times, there has been a wide spread change in consumer perception towards food. Food is being perceived not only as a source of nutrition but also as therapeutic agent. This shift has generated new concepts of functional foods and neutraceuticals. Lactic acid bacteria play a very important role as starters in production of such health foods as they are food grade organisms and are generally regarded as safe (GRAS). Included among them are a special class of beneficial organisms designated as probiotics which can promote the health of the consumers by expressing several desirable biological functions in the gut. There are numerous probiotic genera, species and strains that have been identified and characterized over the past one hundred years. Most notably, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria are most often considered in the probiotic category. Probiotics are defined as "Live microbial food supplements beneficial to health and have a positive effect in the prevention and treatment of intestinal microbial balance.