Traditional yogurt as a source of lactobacilli and other lactic acid bacteria in Iran

Abstract

Among dairy products, yogurt is one of the most consumed and most popular foodstuffs in Iran. Furthermore, a lot of research and practical work have been carried out about isolation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from yogurt, especially traditional yogurt and related products. Interest in traditional fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, continues in the area of isolation of new LAB that can complement or replace currently used starters and/or that can be candidates as beneficial microorganisms for prevention or treatment purposes. A long history of production of dairy products in Iran as well as its climate diversity make the production of a wide range of dairy products possible, particularly in rural regions. In this perspective, such products are potentially good candidates for isolating new strains of probiotics. This chapter focuses on the isolation of LAB from dairy products, especially traditional Iranian yogurt and its derivate products. Therefore, the scientific reports of isolation of many LAB, including Lactobacillus (L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. lactis, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, L. helveticus, L. plantarum, L. brevis, L. pentosus, L. paracasei, L. fermentum, L. helveticus, and L. delbrueckii), Streptococcus (S. lactis, S. diacetylactis, S. thermophiles, S. fecalis, and S. acidominimus), Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Enterococcus (E. durans, E. faecium, E. faecalis, and E. avium), Lactococcus lactis, and Pediococcus, from traditional Iranian yogurt and its derivate products has been summarized and analyzed. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.