**2.3 Probiotic products**

Probiotics can be consumed either as food components or as non-food preparations (Stanton et al., 1998). Foods containing probiotics are referred to by others as functional foods. This refers to foods with nutrient or non-nutrient components that affect targeted function(s) in the body resulting in a positive health effect (Bellisle et al., 1998). Thus, functional foods have a physiological or psychological effect beyond basic nutritional value (Clydesdale, 1997). Several probiotic LAB strains are available to consumers in both traditional fermented foods and in supplemented form (Kourkoutas et al., 2005). The majority of probiotics are incorporated into dairy products such as milk powders, yoghurt, soft-, semi-hard and hard cheeses and ice cream (Desmond et al., 2005; Dinakar & Mistry, 1994; Stanton et al., 2001; Stanton et al., 2005). These products offer a suitable environment for probiotic viability and growth (Özer et al., 2009; Ross et al., 2002). There is an increase in use of other foods as vehicles for probiotics. This is partly due to allergenicity of some consumers to milk products. Non-dairy products such as malt-based beverages and fruit juices (Champagne & Raymond, 2008; Rozada-Sanchez et al., 2007; Sheehan et al., 2007), meat sausages (Ruiz-Moyano et al., 2008), capsules, and freeze-dried preparations (Berni-Carnani et al., 2007) are among these alternatives. Growing vegetarian alternatives have also led to soy-based probiotic foods (Farmworth et al., 2007). Recently, Aragon-Alegro et al. (2007) added probiotic chocolate mousse to the list of alternatives.
