Japanese Journal of Lactic Acid Bacteria
Online ISSN : 2186-5833
Print ISSN : 1343-327X
ISSN-L : 1343-327X
Review
History and Evolution of Probiotics
Tomotari Mitsuoka
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2011 Volume 22 Issue 1 Pages 26-37

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Abstract
At the beginning of the 20th century, Metchnikoff claimed in his theory of longevity that ingestion of yoghurt establishes lactobacillus flora in the intestine, inhibits the growth of putrefactive bacteria and prevents autotoxication of human organs. This can be regards as the birth of ‘probiotics’, In the 1920s fermented milk products containing intestinal isolate, L. acidophilus, were proposed. In the 1950's the use of bifidobacteria that constitute one of the major organisms in the colonic flora of humans, as probiotics began. Although most researcher and consumer believe that probiotic bacteria ingested survive, proliferate and colonize in the intestine, it is recognized that administered lactobacilli or bifidobacteria are difficult to survive or to colonize in the human intestine. In the 1970's, the effects of feeding the pasteurized sour milk (Calpis) on longevity and transplantable tumor of mice were studied. The results indicated that mice given sour milk had a longer life span than those given the control diet, and that pasteurized sour milk or starter cells inhibited the growth of tumor cells.In this case, the dead bacteria have a almost same effect as the live bacteria. The inhibitory effect was dependent on the dose of the starter cells. In that time I proposed ‘biogenics’ as a functional food.The functional foods stimulate immune system and enhance bio-regulation for stresses, appetite and absorption and bio-defence for immunity and anti-allergy, further prevent lifestyle-related diseases.
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© 2011 Japan Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria
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