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Microbial safety and probiotic potential of packaged yogurt products in Pakistan
Author(s) -
Aziz Ghazal,
Zaidi Arsalan,
Bakht Urooj,
Parveen Naila,
Ahmed Ibrar,
Haider Zeeshan,
Muhammad Tariq
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of food safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1745-4565
pISSN - 0149-6085
DOI - 10.1111/jfs.12741
Subject(s) - probiotic , food science , starter , lactobacillus acidophilus , context (archaeology) , lactic acid , lactobacillus , chemistry , biology , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , fermentation , paleontology , genetics
Yogurt is a health food with notable market production and demand. Because of this, we conducted a study on prominent commercial brands of yogurts in Pakistan for microbial content and the probiotic potential of the contained lactic acid bacteria (LAB), in the context of their label claims. All contained viable LAB, but the numbers (cfu g −1 ) varied considerably. Three of the products made explicit probiotic claims, but LAB from these displayed no probiotic attributes per WHO‐FAO guidelines. The yogurt starter and nonstarter Lactobacillus strains had no gelatinase or hemolytic activity and exhibited significant antibacterial activity against some human pathogens. One brand with a probiotic claim contained an L. acidophilus strain that showed cholesterol assimilation activity in vitro. Some potential human pathogens that were hemolytic and resistance to β‐lactam antibiotics were also detected in the products. The findings demonstrate a need for better quality control and regulation to ensure safety and efficacy of yogurt products.