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MCB6424 Probiotics Exam 1 (Modules 1-8)
Questions And Answers.
Bulgarian yogurt contained which species? - Answers✔lactobacillus bulgaricus and
streptococcus thermophilus
Tissier - 1899 - Answers✔identified bifidobacteria and promoted therapeutic use for treating
infant diarrhea.
Metchnikoff - 1907 - Answers✔Proposed that the acid producing bacteria in fermented milk
products could prevent "fouling" in the large intestine and lead to a longer life. He suggested that
the bacteria (lactobacillus and strep) in yogurt suppress the bad fermentation in intestinal flora
and consumption of yogurt plays a role in maintaining health.
1930s - Minoru Shirota - Answers✔developed a fermented milk product called Yakult
1935 - started marketing yakult as a probiotic yogurt-like product made by fermenting a mixture
of skimmed milk with a strain of Lactobacillus casei shirota.
1965 - Lilly and Stillwell - Answers✔probiotics term coined - "substances secreted by one
microorganism that stimulate the growth of another"
Current Definition of Probiotics: - Answers✔"Live microorganisms, which when administered in
adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host"
Who coined the current definition of probiotics? - Answers✔Defined in 2002 by Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and WHO
Guidelines for a product to be called "probiotic" - Answers✔published by FAO/WHO in 2002
strained be designed individually
speciated appropriately - good molecular tools to identify what is present in that product -
different strains of a species of Lactobacillus casei will not all have the same effect on the host
retain a viable count at the end of their shelf life in the designated product formulation that
confers a proven clinical end-point
1
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True/False The probiotic definition requires that the efficacy and safety of probiotics be verified
- Answers✔True
assessment of this constitutes an important part of their characterization for human use - if they
make a claim that something will reduce a headache, they MUST have clinical trials that back up
that claim (and not cause other side effects)
Strains must go through rigorous clinical trials - it takes years. What are the phases of testing? -
Answers✔phase 1 - animal testing
phase 2 - double blind human trials
Then it's a probiotic food (labeling, etc.)
phase 3 - effectiveness - only necessary if you're trying to use for disease prevention
Most common genera of probiotic organisms - Answers✔Lactobacillus, Streptococcus,
Bifidobacterium
less common - Enterococcus, Bacillus, Saccharomyces, Propionibacterium
General Selection Criteria for Probiotics - Answers✔Non-pathogenic and non-toxic
Able to survive the passage through the digestive system
Able to attach to the intestinal epithelia and colonize
Able to maintain good viability
Able to utilize the nutrients and substrates in a normal diet
Capable of exerting a beneficial effect on the host
Lactic Acid Bacteria: General Description - Answers✔Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Firmicutes
Class: Bacilli
Order: Lactobacillales
Gram-positive
Non-spore former
Non-respiring cocci or bacilli
Strictly fermentative with lactic acid as the major end-product
2
MCB6424 Probiotics Exam 1 (Modules 1-8)
Questions And Answers.
Bulgarian yogurt contained which species? - Answers✔lactobacillus bulgaricus and
streptococcus thermophilus
Tissier - 1899 - Answers✔identified bifidobacteria and promoted therapeutic use for treating
infant diarrhea.
Metchnikoff - 1907 - Answers✔Proposed that the acid producing bacteria in fermented milk
products could prevent "fouling" in the large intestine and lead to a longer life. He suggested that
the bacteria (lactobacillus and strep) in yogurt suppress the bad fermentation in intestinal flora
and consumption of yogurt plays a role in maintaining health.
1930s - Minoru Shirota - Answers✔developed a fermented milk product called Yakult
1935 - started marketing yakult as a probiotic yogurt-like product made by fermenting a mixture
of skimmed milk with a strain of Lactobacillus casei shirota.
1965 - Lilly and Stillwell - Answers✔probiotics term coined - "substances secreted by one
microorganism that stimulate the growth of another"
Current Definition of Probiotics: - Answers✔"Live microorganisms, which when administered in
adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host"
Who coined the current definition of probiotics? - Answers✔Defined in 2002 by Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and WHO
Guidelines for a product to be called "probiotic" - Answers✔published by FAO/WHO in 2002
strained be designed individually
speciated appropriately - good molecular tools to identify what is present in that product -
different strains of a species of Lactobacillus casei will not all have the same effect on the host
retain a viable count at the end of their shelf life in the designated product formulation that
confers a proven clinical end-point
1
, ©FYNDLAY
True/False The probiotic definition requires that the efficacy and safety of probiotics be verified
- Answers✔True
assessment of this constitutes an important part of their characterization for human use - if they
make a claim that something will reduce a headache, they MUST have clinical trials that back up
that claim (and not cause other side effects)
Strains must go through rigorous clinical trials - it takes years. What are the phases of testing? -
Answers✔phase 1 - animal testing
phase 2 - double blind human trials
Then it's a probiotic food (labeling, etc.)
phase 3 - effectiveness - only necessary if you're trying to use for disease prevention
Most common genera of probiotic organisms - Answers✔Lactobacillus, Streptococcus,
Bifidobacterium
less common - Enterococcus, Bacillus, Saccharomyces, Propionibacterium
General Selection Criteria for Probiotics - Answers✔Non-pathogenic and non-toxic
Able to survive the passage through the digestive system
Able to attach to the intestinal epithelia and colonize
Able to maintain good viability
Able to utilize the nutrients and substrates in a normal diet
Capable of exerting a beneficial effect on the host
Lactic Acid Bacteria: General Description - Answers✔Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Firmicutes
Class: Bacilli
Order: Lactobacillales
Gram-positive
Non-spore former
Non-respiring cocci or bacilli
Strictly fermentative with lactic acid as the major end-product
2
