Guidelines for evaluation of probiotics in food
The increasing globalization of food trade has resulted in India being a fast emerging market for probiotic products. With the availability of these products increasing exponentially and the multiple claims made regarding the beneficial health effects, there is the need to put in place sufficient safeguards to protect the consumers from any adverse effects, ensure standardization of commercial products and their efficacy. The present ICMR-DBT guidelines comprehensively address the various concerns regarding safety, efficacy and reliability as well as labeling of probiotic products being sold in India.