Current status on the use of dairy products as carriers of probiotics in Africa
A systematic review
Keywords:
Probiotics, Lactic acid bacteria, Traditional dairy products, Commercial dairy products, AfricaAbstract
Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the use of probiotics in African fermented dairy products. Probiotics in dairy products have demonstrated valuable attributes, including improved organoleptic and health-promoting properties. Despite the growing popularity of probiotics in Africa, there remains limited documentation and research on their adoption and use in dairy products. This article systematically reviewed the current application of probiotics in African fermented dairy products, assessing their functional properties and suggesting potential research areas. A literature review encompassing online databases such as AGORA, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science identified 26 relevant studies. The analysis revealed that East Africa had the highest publication rate (42.31%), followed by Southern Africa (26.92%), West Africa (23.08%), and North Africa (7.69%). Identified dairy products include acid-alcoholic fermented milk, cheese, formula, kefir, sour milk, yoghurt, and other unnamed fermented products that contained probiotic bacteria which exhibited technological, health benefits or both functions.
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