Suggestion of a Safety Evaluation Procedure to Improve Probiotic Safety

Probiotics are actively being studied for their efficacious anticancer, anticholesterol, and antidiabetic properties. As novel probiotic strains are being developed continuously, new strain-specific safety issues may be reported. Therefore, a procedure for the safety evaluation of probiotic strains is needed. In this study, we investigated the current status of domestic and foreign guidelines for the evaluation of safety of probiotics and suggested a general probiotic safety evaluation process. In other countries, the guidelines for probiotic evaluation are provided and managed separately. However, in Korea, general guidelines are provided regarding the use of functional ingredients, and specific guidelines for the use of probiotics are lacking. A review step based on the characteristics of the probiotics has been introduced in the procedure for safety evaluation of probiotics. Additionally, it has been suggested that the safety evaluation process should consider the results of the functional and genomic analysis for strain identification. Moreover, the factors to be evaluated are presented separately for the notified and non-notified strains. The suggested evaluation procedure may ensure the safety of probiotics, thereby promoting enhanced utilization of probiotics as functional products.