Fermented foods and probiotics: An approach to lactose intolerance

The aim of this review was to present various topics related to lactose intolerance with special attention given to the role of fermented foods and probiotics in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms. Lactose intolerance is a common digestive problem in which the human body is unable to digest lactose, known as milk sugar. Lactose intolerance can either be hereditary or a consequence of intestinal diseases. Recent work has demonstrated that fermented dairy products and probiotics can modify the metabolic activities of colonic microbiota and may alleviate the symptoms of lactose intolerance. We suggest that, lactose free dairy products could be recommended as alternatives for the alleviation of lactose intolerance and for the promotion of human health and wellness.

Microbial technologies in the production of low-lactose dairy foods / Tecnologías microbiológicas para la elaboración de productos lácteos con bajo contenido en lactosa

Low-lactose milk products with 70% or more of the lactose hydrolysed by food grade β-galac tosidase enzymes of yeasts or fungi have become widely accepted for alleviating the symptoms of lactose maldigestion. This condition limits the intake of nutritious dairy foods by large segments of the world's population. Alternative approaches recently proposed for dealing with lactose maldigestion include the supplementation of milk with dormant dairy cultures, treatment of milk with sonicated or permeabilized cultures as food-grade sources of β-galactosidase and the use of cold-active enzymes to hydrolyse lactose in milk under refrigerated storage conditions.