CEREAL FOODS WORLD / 293

J. Côté1

Lallemand Bio-Ingredients

Montreal, QC, Canada

J. Dion

L.V. Lomas Limited

Montreal, QC, Canada

P. Burguière

Lallemand Health Solutions

Montreal, QC, Canada

L. Casavant and J. Van Eijk

Lallemand Baking Solutions

Montreal, QC, Canada

The fastest growing market for probiot-ics is the food industry. Depending on

the product and geographic region, sales of foods containing probiotic bacteria have increased from 7 to 32% each year (11,16). In fact, many consumers indicate they prefer probiotic-enriched foods to probiotic pills and supplements (2).

The origin of consumption of probiotic foods for their potential health benefits dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1908 Elie Metchnikoff, who received a Nobel prize at the turn of the 20th century for his work on immunol-ogy, advocated eating fermented milk products to prolong life (13). Since then, probiotics have been the subject of thou-sands of scientific publications. Probiotics are defined by FAO/WHO (9) as livemicroorganisms that, when ingested in adequate amounts, confer a health ben-efit to the host.

Role of Gut Microbiota

The gut microbiota have evolved in step with human physiology, and this symbi-otic process has left the modern human gut teeming with bacterial cells, mostly located in the colon: about 100 trillion cells in total, representing more than 1,000 species of bacteria (8,23). This inter-

Probiotics in Bread and Baked Products:A New Product Category

1 Corresponding author. Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, 1620 Prefontaine, Montreal, QC H1W 2N8, Canada; E-mail: jcote@lallemand.com

http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/CFW-58-6-0293

©2013 AACC International, Inc.

nal microbiological activity, often referred to as the intestinal flora, plays an impor-tant role in maintaining health. By shap-ing and maintaining normal mucosalimmunity, the intestinal flora forms a “barrier effect.” The presence of these beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract helps prevent colonization of the intes-tine by pathogens and thereby helps the body defend against infections (Fig. 1). The microbiota in the colon are alsoinvolved in completion of the digestive process through fermentation of sub-stances such as dietary fiber, oligosac-charides, fructose, and lactose that arenot digested in the stomach or small intes-tine. Carbohydrate fermentation produces short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, which is the primary energy source for the cells lining the colon. When butyrate lev-els are reduced or absent, inflammation characteristic of ulcerative colitis canresult. Finally, gut microbiota have also been shown to assist with amino acid and vitamin K synthesis and with metaboliza-tion of bile acids, other sterols, and xeno-biotics (1,17).

The intestinal flora is in a constant state of flux, and the delicate balance between microbes can be disturbed by diet, alco-hol, contaminated foods, antibiotics, stress, and aging, as well as by digestive disorders and diseases (5). Altered com-position of the microbiota (dysbiosis), e.g., an increase in pathogenic bacteriaor decrease in beneficial bacteria, may decrease the barrier effect and contribute

to the appearance of various digestive ailments, including bloating, intestinal upset, consti-pation, dyspepsia, allergies, etc. This, in turn, may lead to the development of more serious conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and celiac disease (10,14).

The probiotic concentration in foods is expressed in colony forming units (cfu) per gram of serving, which is an indication of the number of live micro-organisms present. To date, there is no recognized colony

forming unit level of probiotic bacteria in foods that would guarantee biological activity (18). However, on average, levels required to achieve beneficial effects from foods containing probiotics are common-ly reported to be >100 million (108) viable cells/day (3,6,7).

Addition of Probiotics to Bread and

Baked Products

A wide variety of probiotic strains are now being added to an array of foods. Probiotics are most often found in dairy products, but they are increasingly being incorporated into other food products as well (e.g., juice, granola bars, chocolate, cereal, etc.). The majority of probiotic microorganisms are lactic acid-produc-ing bacteria, which are usually part ofa healthy intestinal flora. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains are most commonly added to foods and supple-ments (20). Enterococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, and Saccharomyces boulardii (nonpathogenic yeast) are more commonly sold as supplements but can also be added to foods (20).

The viability of probiotics in foodsdepends on various conditions encoun-tered during processing and storage. The loss of probiotics during thermal process-ing depends on the ability of a strain to withstand heat (4,12). Most probioticbacteria are sensitive to heat, so their sur-vival during thermal processing is a majorobstacle. The heat involved in baking can result in significant losses in viability dur-

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ing the manufacture and storage of breads and baked goods.

B. subtilis is a spore-forming bacteria that has the capacity to sporulate when exposed to harsh environmental condi-tions (15). This property confers a major advantage when B. subtilis is used as a

probiotic in food manufacturing process-es that use high temperatures, such as baking. When in its sporulated form,B. subtilis can survive heat shock, low pH conditions, high compression, high acid-ity, high water activity, and high sugar content (21). Thus, it can be incorporated

at any step in bread and baked good pro-duction processes.

The probiotic B. subtilis R0179 hasbeen used for more than 15 years to sup-port gut health. This strain remains stableunder industrial production processes such as baking, freezing, and extrusion and, as a result, is an excellent candidate for incorporation as a probiotic in a vari-ety of food products.

The stability of B. subtilis R0179 under the conditions encountered in bread and baked good production processes was investigated. The probiotic was added to the dough with the other ingredients, and the concentration of probiotic after bak-ing was analyzed throughout the shelf life of the bread (21 days). To guarantee pro-biotic concentrations of 108–109 cfu at the end of its shelf life, the bread was inocu-lated with levels averaging 1010 cfu/50 g serving. The results shown in Figure 2 indicate that the concentration of B. sub-tilis R0179 was maintained well above108 cfu/serving during the 21 day shelflife of the bread. The stability of this pro-biotic in cookies baked for 6 min at500°F and stored at room temperaturefor 12 months was also investigated.The concentration of B. subtilis R0179 remained higher than 109 cfu/serving during the entire 12 month shelf life of the cookies (Fig. 3).

The addition of other well-known pro-biotic strains, such as L. rhamnosus, to bread and baked products was also inves-tigated. The use of this strain in food isof great interest because it is well known to consumers due to effective marketing strategies utilized by dairy companies. Because L. rhamnosus R0011 is not heat-stable, it was applied to baked breadusing a novel spray-on technology. When sprayed over bread after baking, L. rham-nosus showed good stability throughout the shelf life of the bread (21 days) at room temperature. The probiotic concen-tration remained higher than 109 cfu/50 g serving of bread during the shelf life of the product (Fig. 4).

U.S. Regulations and Claims for

Probiotics in Breads and

Baked Products

In the United States, B. subtilis and L. rhamnosus both have been granted GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status and are eligible for label claims. However, the FDA has not approved any health claims for probiotics. In addition, nutrient con-tent claims cannot be made, because a daily value has not been established (19).

Fig. 2. Stability of probiotic Bacillus subtilis R0179 over shelf life (21 days) of bread.

Fig. 1. Contribution of intestinal flora to the “barrier effect.”

Fig. 3. Stability of probiotic Bacillus subtilis R0179 in cookies baked for 6 min at 500°F and stored at room temperature for 12 months.

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The most common claims seen in the marketing of probiotics are structure/function claims.

Structure/function claims describe the role of a nutrient or dietary ingredient that affects normal structure or function in humans. In addition, they may charac-terize the means by which a nutrient or dietary ingredient acts to maintain struc-ture or function, or they may describe a feeling of general well-being purported to be associated with consumption of anutrient or dietary ingredient (22).Examples of structure/function claims currently used with products containing probiotics include claims that the probi-otic strengthens the body’s defenses, cares for the digestive system, enhances “joiede vivre,” helps naturally regulate thedigestive tract, and/or helps regulate the

digestive system by helping to reducelong intestinal transit times (19). Theaddition of probiotics such as B. subtilis and L. rhamnosus to breads and baked goods, thus, can be promoted on the packaging label using these types of struc-ture/function claims.

Summary

There is a growing market for foods that contain probiotic bacteria, and a wide variety of probiotic strains are now being added to an array of food products. The heat-stable probiotic strain B. subtilis R0179 was successfully added to bread and cookie formulations. When sprayed on baked bread, the heat-sensitive probi-otic strain L. rhamnosus R0011 also showed good stability over a shelf life of 21 days. In the United States, breads and

baked products containing probiotics can be marketed using structure/function claims.

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An ad appeared here in the print version of the journal.

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Jacinthe Côté is the scientific advisor for Lallemand Bio-Ingredients. She is a registered dietitian and holds an M.S. degree in food science from McGill University and a Ph.D. degree in biology from Université du Québec a Montréal. She is the author of a weekly nutrition column published in La Presse (a daily newspaper published in Canada) and of a book on obesity. For many years she provided technical support for different food manufacturers.

Joanie Dion is a technical sales representative for L.V. Lomas Limited. She holds a B.S. degree in microbiology from the University of Sher-brooke. She formerly worked for Lallemand Bio-Ingredients, provid-ing technical support and promoting the use of probiotics in food applications in general and in baked goods in particular.

Pierre Burguière is the manager of the preclinical program on pro-biotics for Lallemand Health Solutions. He is responsible for probiotic characterization, host–bacteria interaction studies to determine their mechanisms of action, as well as development and validation of ana-lytical methods. He is a microbiologist and holds a Ph.D. degree from Université Denis Diderot-Paris 7, where he studied Bacillus subtilis sul-fur metabolism and its regulation at the Institut Pasteur. He worked for many years for Danone in analytical microbiology and molecular biology and then in research on probiotic health benefits.

Luc Casavant is the manager of the R&D and application laboratory for Lallemand Baking Solutions. He holds a B.S. degree in biochemis-try and M.S. degree in chemistry from Université du Québec a Mon-tréal. He worked for more than 15 years as a baker and production manager for Gadoua and Robin Hood bakeries. Luc is an AACCI mem-ber and can be reached at lcasavant@lallemand.com.

Jan van Eijk is the research director for Lallemand Baking Solutions and holds an M.S. degree in biochemistry, microbiology and food science from the Agricultural University of Wageningen and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from the State University of Utrecht. He has 30 year of experience in the baking industry and manages a team involved in the development of enzyme-based dough conditioners for the U.S. market. Jan is an AACCI member and can be reached at jvaneijk@lallemand.com.

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