Chapter3 - Authenticity of probiotic foods and supplements: Up-to-date situation and methods to assess it

To be authentic a probiotic food or supplement should have content consistent with its label. However, although the information present on the label of these products must be not deceptive for the consumer, numerous studies have found one or more inconsistencies of the probiotic food or dietary supplement with the label, linked to either the number of viable probiotic cells, the probiotic microorganisms (strain, species or genus different from the one claimed on the label) or the presence of contaminants. Moreover, several methods are available to assess the authenticity of probiotic foods and supplements, with their advantages and drawbacks. This chapter provides an overview of the authenticity to date investigated in probiotic foods and supplements worldwide as well as of the methods used to assess it.