Probiotics
Ingestion of probiotics has been shown to improve human immune function, and L. brevis has been patented several times. L. brevis has been shown to survive in the gastrointestinal tract in humans and can therefore be used as a probiotic. Currently the bacterium does not have the ability to convert milk to yogurt however, they are appropriate to be used as an alternative to other probiotics in yogurts. Within the geriatric population use of the bacteria in milk has been shown to increase cellular immunity. Dietary probiotic supplementation enhances natural killer cell activity in the elderly (an investigation of age-related immunological changes). L. brevis is considered appropriate for probiotic use because there is significant growth at pH’s 4-5, pH 5 is normally the appropriate range for milk and yogurts.
Read more about this topic: Lactobacillus Brevis