# Functional Yogurt: Types and Health Benefits
## 2 Functional Yogurt Types
### Symbiotic  
Synbiotic yogurt, which includes a combination of probiotics and prebiotics, is a novel approach. It is believed that probiotics consume prebiotics as a nutrient source, thus maintaining and enhancing their viability and growth [79; 81]. The nutritional value of the products produced through the synergistic relationship of probiotics and prebiotics is enhanced, and their functional properties are promoted [87; 88]. These compounds may increase the amount of bioactive components [22; 91]. On the other hand, the textural, rheological, sensory, and structural properties of yogurt are also believed to be improved through the use of synbiotics [80; 82; 90]. In this context, prebiotics, probiotics, or both can be added to yogurt in free or encapsulated forms [84]. In a study reported by [PERSON] et al., the probiotic _Limosilatobacillus acidophilus_ (_L. acidophilus_) was added along with FOS and INU prebiotics during yogurt production [85]. The addition of INU and FOS as prebiotics extended the shelf life of the samples. The microbiological evaluation results revealed that the INU and FOS increased the number of yogurt starter cultures during storage. In addition, some samples containing bacteriocin could increase the microbiological quality by controlling the number of yeasts and molds under control. Sensory evaluation results indicated that the addition of INU could positively affect the mouthfeel and taste profile of yogurt. [PERSON] et al., aimed to assess the functional and sensory properties of symbiotic bioyogurt enriched with types of INU isolated from chicory and globe artichoke roots [77]. When the physicochemical properties were evaluated, the two novel types of INUs exhibited similar characteristics to commercial INUs. In the yogurt samples, the addition of INU resulted in a decrease in syneresis. Compared with the control samples, all the samples enriched with INU or INU-containing maltodextrin presented the highest viscosity values compared to the control. In the sensory evaluation conducted with 20 panelists, all yogurt of the samples were generally accepted. However, the samples enriched with globe artichoke root INU received slightly lower overall acceptance scores than the other samples did. All the samples were positively evaluated in terms of freshness, pleasant aroma, creamy texture, and overall flavor. The form in which prebiotics and probiotics are integrated into yogurt is also important. For example, a study conducted in 2021 demonstrated that supplementing with microencapsulated synbiotics had greater lactic acid bacteria viability than yogurt supplemented with free synbiotics [131]. Also, it was demonstrated that the addition of encapsulated synbiotics enhanced the texture and rheological characteristics of the yogurt, thereby improving product quality [89]. In addition, it is possible to isolate prebiotics from various sources and evaluate these sources [29; 76]. In this study, the effects of prebiotic sources, including _Malva neglecta_ and lactulose, on the microbiological and textural characteristics of symbiotic yogurt developed with the probiotic bacterium _Limosilatobacillus fermentum_ (_L. fermentum_) were evaluated [78]. The results demonstrated that the addition of 2% lactulose considerably increased the growth of starter bacteria, whereas the addition of 1% lactulose or 5%, 10%, or 15% _Malva neglecta_ affected the growth of starter bacteria. In addition, the growth of _L. fermentum_ was highest in the samples containing 2% lactulose and 15% _Malva neglecta_. According to the textural evaluation results, increasing the concentrations of lactulose and _Malva neglecta_ significantly reduced the firmness of the yogurt. These results showed how different prebiotic sources affect the textural and functional properties of the product. In a sense, symbiotic yogurt generally does not affect fat and protein content but does affect the rheological, sensory, and functional properties of yogurt.