The future prospects of probiotics lie in the successful application of individual strains with specific beneficial effects on the host. This development implies that not only the most robust strains are selected but also strains with a promising probiotic function with moderate or high sensitivity to processing stresses. This also means an increasing variety of probiotic strains with different functions. Therefore the processing of probiotics becomes an important issue. The strains have to be cultivable and proper growth conditions have to be known. Another very important step in processing is the preservation step. This includes either the freezing and frozen storage or the drying and storage in powder form. The fermentation, drying, and storage processes are highly interrelated. Therefore a holistic approach has to be chosen for the production of highly effective probiotic formulation. The book comprises state-of-the-art knowledge on isolation and characterization of probiotics as well as processing (fermentation, freezing, drying, and storage) and application of probiotics in different food products. This book will serve as a guidebook to researchers, technologists, and industry professionals in the field of probiotics.
