The book on Probiotics is a useful resource for understanding the concepts related to probiotics and their effects on health. Their role in maintaining a healthy microbiome, fortifying the food, boosting immune system, and mitigating various diseases is well presented. The book will serve as a useful ready reference for UG and PG  students of Microbiology, Food Technology, Life Sciences and entrepreneurs as well as advanced learners and researchers.

This book presents the fundamentals of concepts related to probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, the taxonomy of two important probiotic groups of organisms, Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria.The book moves on to discuss the ecology of these organisms in the gastrointestinal tract, the production of exopolysaccharides and their role in controlling microbial infections in the gut and as potential therapeutic in infections of the urogenital tract, gastrointestinal system and other disorders. In keeping pace with advances seen in every field through molecular approaches and studies on the microbiome, the book discusses genome-wide analysis of gut bacteria. Apart from health promotion, the book presents a glimpse of industrial applications of the enzymes produced by probiotics and antibiotics.

Overall, the present book is a valuable reference material for students, food technologists and scientists working on probiotics.

Dr Gayathri Devaraja, Senior Professor of Microbiology, Davangere University, Shivagangothri, Davangere-577007, Karnataka, India.

Gayathri  Devaraja: Professor  of  Microbiology  Director,  IQAC, Davanagere  University, Shivagangothri, Davanagere-  577002, Karnataka, India

Foreword

Acknowledgement:

1. Fundamentals of Probiotics

2. Prebiotics, Synbiotics & Nutraceuticals

3. Taxonomy of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria

4. The Ecology of Lactobacilli in the Gastrointestinal Tract

5. Exopolysaccharide production by intestinal Lactobaciili

6. Uses of probiotics in controlling various types of microbial infections; bacterial therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of Urogenital infections

7. Genome sequences: Approaches to genome wide analysis of gut bacteria

8. Probiotics: enzymes; industrial applications

9. Diversity of Nisin producing Lactic Acid Bacteria from Fermented Foods

10. New Insights on the role of Lactic Acid Bacteria in immune modulation