Plant-based milk substitutes as emerging probiotic carriers

At present, there is an increasing demand for probiotic enriched plant-based milk products. Although many varieties of plantbased milk exist, soymilk, rice-milk and coconut-milk are the major carrier matrices used in probiotic food development. In general, these products are safe for consumption and can be considered as a suitable vehicle for delivering probiotics due to their ability in maintaining sufficient probiotic levels during product shelf life. However, studies that are focusing on the evaluation of functional efficacy of probiotics in these products with special reference to gastrointestinal survival, adhesion to intestinal epithelium and immunomodulation are scarce and these aspects need to be further assessed.