Probiotics are defined as ‘living microorganisms’ that are becoming increasingly popular in a wide range of food applications because these are beneficial to the host's health when applied adequately. The most common probiotics include Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.

Probiotics improve the intestinal barrier function by stimulating the production of mucin proteins, regulating the expression of tight junction proteins, including occluding and claudin 1, and regulating the immune response in the gut.

The health benefits of probiotics are associated with preventing and reducing many diseases, i.e., allergic diseases, cancer, hypercholesterolemia, lactose intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome.

There is increasing evidence in favor of the claims of beneficial effects attributed to probiotics, including improvement of intestinal health, enhancement of the immune response, reduction of serum cholesterol, and cancer prevention. These health properties are strain-specific and are impacted by the various mechanisms mentioned above. In fact, there is substantial evidence to support probiotic use in the treatment of acute diarrheal diseases, prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and improvement of lactose metabolism.