Do all fermented foods
contain a probiotic?
Fermented foods are not necessarily probiotic foods. Only some fermented foods
contain microbes that meet the strict criteria to be called a ‘probiotic’.

PROBIOTICS

Documented health benefit required
Live microorganisms that,when administered in adequate
amounts, confer a health benefit
on the host.
EXAMPLES *• Bifidobacterium animalis
subsp. lactis XYZ• L. plantarum ABC• L. casei 123*Strain designations shown
here are not actual strains

Probiotics can beadded to nutritional
supplements or to foods
that are not fermented,
such as fruit juice orcereal bars. A ‘probiotic
food’ must containmicrobes that meet allof the criteria indicatedfor a probiotic

PROBIOTICFERMENTED
FOODS

Documented health benefit due
to the probiotic required.
Some fermented foods are fermented using
a microbe proven to be a probiotic, or have
had a probiotic microbe added in adequate
amounts to provide a health benefit.
EXAMPLES• Yogurt containing B. animalis subsp.
lactis XYZ• Oat fermented by L. plantarum ABC• Milk fermented by L. casei 123

Required: live microbes defined to the strain level in sufficientamounts to confer health benefits

FERMENTEDFOODS

No documented health benefit
required.
Foods made through desired
microbial growth andenzymatic conversions of foodcomponents.
Fermented foods frequently
contain mixtures of
uncharacterized microbes.
(e.g., kimchi and kombucha),
while some fermented foods
have undergone processing andno longer contain live microbes(e.g., sourdough bread andcanned sauerkraut).
EXAMPLES• Sauerkraut• Kombucha• Leavened bread

Probiotics

Fermented foods

What are probiotics?
Scientists define probiotics as live
microorganisms that, when administeredin adequate amounts, confer a healthbenefit on the host. They can help support
the bacteria that live with us, especiallywhen our bacteria are challenged, forexample by antibiotics, poor diet ortraveling. Probiotics are present innumerous foods and dietary supplements.

What can probiotics do for you?
Probiotics can support health in different ways
• Help your immune system function properly• Aid digestion by breaking down some of
the food we can’t digest• Keep harmful microorganisms in check• Produce vitamins and aid in nutrient absorption
Some probiotics may:
• Help reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea• Help manage digestive discomforts• Help reduce colic symptoms and eczema
in infants• Help with the digestion of lactose• Treat infectious diarrhea• Decrease risk or duration of common infections,
including respiratory tract, gut and vaginal tract

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Follow ISAPP on Twitter @ISAPPscience© 2019, International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics

Choosing a probiotic
Know your probiotic. Probiotics are known
by their genus, species and strain (for example,Lactobacillus acidophilus ABC). Products should
display each strain’s designation.
Match the strain to the benefit you want.
Not all strains are the same. See
usprobioticguide.com or probioticchart.ca.
Amounts matter. Be sure the productcontains at least the level of probiotics thatwas used in the study. Higher counts are notnecessarily better. Levels of live probiotics
should be provided through the ‘best by’ date(not time of manufacture).
Supplements or foods? More important than
supplement vs food is getting an effective
probiotic strain at an effective dose. Someyogurts, fermented milks and some otherfoods may contain probiotics. Look for added
probiotics listed on the label and for a foodthat fits within your healthy diet.
Other fermented foods? Traditional yogurts
contain live bacteria that can help digestion oflactose, but not all fermented foods contain live
cultures that meet the definition of probiotic.
See ISAPPscience.org/fermented-foods

For more information on probiotics, view our Probiotics infographic
For more information on fermented foods, view our Fermented Foods infographic

What are fermented foods?
Scientists have defined fermented foods as those made through desired
microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components.
These foods are not new. Fermented foods have been around for thousandsof years. To understand how fermented foods are made, let’s look at yogurt.

Yogurt is a fermented food made from milk. During yogurt fermentation
lactic acid-producing bacteria grow on the sugar and other nutrients in milk.
As they multiply, the bacteria produce compounds that change the flavor,
texture, and nutrients in the milk to give us what we know as yogurt.

The value of fermented foods
May be asource of live,
active microbes

Improve taste,texture, anddigestibilityof food

Increase
concentrationsof vitamins
and bioactive
compounds
in foods

Remove/reduce toxic
substances oranti-nutrientsin raw foods

Inhibitpathogens andfood spoilage
microbes

May benefit
human health by
reducing risk forsome acute andchronic diseases

The fermentation process

Safety. Probiotics are safe for most people, buttalk to your doctor if you suffer from an immune
disorder, have a serious underlying illness, haveshort gut, or before giving to a young infant.

Depending on the food, certain types of bacteria, yeasts and/or molds carryout the fermentation. Ingredients such as salt may be added and temperatureand time will be manipulated to get the desired end-product. The fermentation
microbes are still alive when we eat yogurt, kefir, cheeses, kimchi and someother fermented foods. But some foods that undergo fermentation
are further processed (by pasteurization, baking, or filtering) sothey are no longer sources of live microbes.

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or follow us on Twitter @ISAPPscienceand on Instagram @isappscience© 2020, International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics

FERMENTED
Fermented and retaining
live fermentation microbes• Yogurt• Kefir• Most cheeses• Miso• Natto• Tempeh• Kimchi/fermented vegetables• Dry fermented sausages• Most kombuchas• Some beers

NOT FERMENTED

Fermented but
fermentation microbes
killed or removed (process)• Bread, including sourdough(baked)• Shelf-stable pickles/fermentedvegetables (heat-treated)• Sausage (heat-treated)• Soy sauce (heat-treated)• Vinegar (heat-treated)• Wine, most beers, distilled spirits(filtered)• Coffee and chocolate beans(roasted)

No live microbes usedin production• Fresh sausage• Vegetables pickled inbrine or vinegar• Chemically-produced
soy sauce• Non-fermented cured
meats and fish
• Acidified cottage cheese

For more information visit ISAPPscience.org
or follow us on Twitter @ISAPPscience© 2021, International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics