Recent Research Technologies for Quality Control of Commercial Probiotics

Abstract

Probiotics have been shown to benefit human health through their role in improving the health of our body, especially gastrointestinal tracts. Probiotic bacteria are commonly incorporated into a variety of functional foods or drug formulations. Despite the extensive commercial exploitation of probiotic bacteria, there are still major knowledge gaps regarding the precise molecular composition and labeling of products. Several studies have reported issues concerning the accuracy of labeling of commercial probiotic products, including inaccurate taxonomy and cell counting. The study of microbiology and genomics has been accelerated by the invention of new technologies such as next generation sequencing (NGS) and flow cytometry (FACS). Recent many studies showed that NGS and FACS technology can be also applied for quality control of commercial probiotics. Here, we review advantages and limitations of current technologies for quality control of commercial probiotics. Principles and applications of new technologies are also introduced as alternative tools for the same purposes.