**1.13 Vitamins and probiotics**

Vitamins are generally classed to include vitamins (A, D, E and K), fat-soluble or to be water-soluble that including vitamins C, biotin (vitamin H or B7), vitamins B—thiamin (B1) and B—thiamin (B2) and riboflavin (B3) (B12). While fat-soluble vitamins are key cell membrane components, water-soluble vitamins are used as coenzymes, usually conveying chemical groups. People are unable to synthesize most vitamins and must thus be extracted exogenously. Using vitamins can be an alternative to reinforcement using chemically synthetized pseudo-vitamins that is more natural and consumer friendly.

Probiotic bacteria empower a beneficial effect on the host immune system and on the gut microbiota composition and function. In addition, vitamin synthesis has brought various health benefits to the host. Probiotic bacteria, mostly of the *Lactobacillus* and

*Probiotics in Processed Dairy Products and Their Role in Gut Microbiota Health DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104482*

*Bifidobacterium* genus, provide several health advantages. The vitamin K, and most aquatic-soluble B vitamins, including as biotin, cobalamins, folates, nicotinic acid, pyridoxine, riboflavin, and thiamine, can manufacture probiotic bacterial agents, members of the gut microbiota, in humans. Probiotic bacteria have been widely investigated to produce B-vitamins, notably folate and riboflavin (B2). Several LAB species manufacture these vitamins, frequently in high quantities, and are therefore often present in fermented foods (e.g., *Lactococcus lactis, Lactobocillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus reuteri)* and *Bifidobacterium* (e.g., *Bifidobacterium adolescentis*). In addition, higher production of vitamins has been achieved through metabolism. Folate biosynthetic genes and biosynthesis operon of riboflavin have been over-expressed in L. lactis, leading to kinds of folate or riboflavin that produce at greater rates. The modified biosynthetic routes of folate and riboflavin in *L. lactis* are used to produce both vitamins simultaneously by directed mutagenesis and selection and metabolic engineering.

#### **1.14 Commercial forms of probiotics**

It is possible to absorb probiotic organisms in two primary ways: through fermented meals and through supplements. Fermented foods may come from both dairy and vegetable sources, with yogurt and sauerkraut being the most well-known of each. Freeze-dried (lyophilized) bacteria in powder, pill, or tablet form make up probiotic supplements. For clinical effectiveness, products containing probiotic organisms must contain enough live organisms to exhibit therapeutic benefits, regardless of the way they are ingested. Both fermented foods and supplements can accomplish this feat in the same way and have pros and cons (**Table 3**).

The probiotic strain that has been demonstrated to have the necessary therapeutic effect is essential to achieving successful and repeatable clinical outcomes. *L. rhamnosus* GG, for example, has been proven to prevent viral gastroenteritis and maintain


#### **Table 3.**

*Pros and cons of commercial forms of probiotics [47].*

ulcerative colitis in remission, according to research. We cannot assume that other strains of *L. rhamnosus* would behave in a similar fashion. In the same way, a doctor who uses the identical strain used in clinical trials should expect similar outcomes. An effect may be obtained by using a nearly similar strain.

For meals and supplements containing probiotics, the dose depends only on the quantity of live organisms present in the product, not on its composition. In clinical studies, between 107 and 1011 live bacteria per day were used. When administered in a dairy medium, it appears that 100 times less viable bacteria are required to reach the same number of live bacteria in the lower colon. In the upper GI tract, dairy appears to be a good transport medium for the bacteria, boosting their survival.
