Fermented milk products: from history to the present

Abstract

Since antiquity people have known about the health benefits of fermented milk products. These products are obtained by lactic acid fermentation using various microorganisms, but primarily Lactobacillus spp. The number of varieties of fermented milk products is large. The most famous are yogurt, kefir, lapper milk, baked yogurt, sour cream. Yogurt is made using sourdough including Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Numerous positive effects of yoghurts are shown, including the antibacterial effect against many pathogenic microorganisms. Yogurt, like other fermented milk products, have a reduced lactose content compared to whole milk, which allows people with lactase deficiency to consume this product. In addition, the protein of fermented milk products is more accessible to enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract and is easier to digest. The hypocholesterolemic effect of yogurt is also shown. Fermented milk products, including yogurt, are recommended for baby food. In particular, the efficacy of drinking yogurt enriched with prebiotics and probiotics is shown for both healthy children and children with functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, disorders of the intestinal microflora, whose who is sick often and long, as well as in the acute period of acute respiratory viral infections and at the convalescence stage. Thus, the ideas about the importance of fermented milk products for health and longevity, expressed more than 100 years ago, today have a solid scientific basis and research in this direction continues.