Beer as a vehicle for probiotics

Beer is one of the most consumed beverages worldwide that can be used to transfer probiotics to the host. The aim of this study was to generally review technological parameters incorporated in the production of probiotic beers. Probiotic beer production needs solving technical problems that are linked to processing stages. Although use of probiotics in fermented dairy products has been searched in available scientific literatures, beer is a relatively novel matrix for the incorporation of probiotics and hence a review on its capability as a probiotic carrier can be advantageous. Therefore, objective of the recent review was to investigate the most recent method for the production of probiotic beers. Furthermore, factors affecting the viability of probiotics in the final product were studied.

Scientific literatures verified that probiotic beers could be produced with a few modifications from the non-probiotic beers. As probiotic species include poor growth abilities and probiotic viability is the most important factor considering a product as a probiotic product, multiple criteria for the production of probiotic beers include selecting an alcohol and acid-tolerant probiotic strain, administration of encapsulated probiotics, eliminating thermal and filtration processes, controlling oxygen concentration during fermentation process and after inoculation with probiotic strain, inhabiting severe acidic condition during the probiotic beer production and holding temperature below 5 ˚C during storage and transportation. However, several researches are needed to clarify limiting factors to achieve optimum conditions for the production of appropriate probiotic beers. However, incorporation of nonviable probiotics as alternate germs can be considered as a novel method for the production of health improving beers.