Sharif Digital Repository

Probiotics are defined as essential live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. In order to provide health benefits for probiotic bacteria it has been recommended that they must be present at a minimum level of 106 CFU/g of food product or 107 CFU/g at point of delivery or be eaten in sufficient amounts to yield a daily intake of 108 CFU. Several studies have shown that certain strain of lactic acid bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus prevent some diseases linked to the gastro-intestinal tract. however, many reports have demonstrated their poor survival and stability. Their survival in the... 

In the recent year, there has been a rising interest in producing functional foods containing encapsulated probiotic bacteria according to their perceived health benefits. Probiotics are feed and food supplements that beneficially affect the host’s health. The term “probiotic” includes a large range of microorganisms, mainly lactic acid bacteria. Because they can stay alive until the intestine and provide health beneficial effects like lowering cholesterol, improving lactose tolerance and preventing some cancers like colon cancer on the host health. It has been recommended that the viability of probiotics should be at least 107 CFU/ml of product at time of consumptions to provide selective... 

Due to the increased public awareness about the role of food on health, an increased interest of consuming fortified food has grown rapidly. Probiotic bacteria and DHA poly-unsaturated fatty acid are two major bioactive ingredients becoming increasingly popular in food fortification industry due to their beneficial effects. However, high susceptibility of probiotic bacteria during production, maintenance and digestion in acidic and enzymatic conditions of gastrointestinal tract results in decreasing the survivability and therefore reducing health effects in body. Besides, having multiple double bonds in the structure of DHA fatty acid leads to oxidative degradation that produces volatile... 

The occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent rising demand for purchasing alcohol-based sanitizers led to a remarkable prosperity in supplying these hygiene products. Hence, the development of a straightforward and efficient analytical strategy for discrimination of antiseptic alcohols including methanol, ethanol and isopropanol is of great importance. By exploiting the alcohol-sensitive membranes of probiotic bacteria, this research aims to develop a colorimetric sensor array for discriminating methanol, ethanol and isopropanol. In this design, the aggregation of citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the thiol-modified surface of two probiotic bacteria, including...