Czech J. Food Sci., X:X | DOI: 10.17221/36/2025-CJFS

Gastric survival of lactic acid bacteria in probiotic-labelled products from the Turkish market: An in vitro studyOriginal Paper

Gizem Özlük1, Gabriela Krausová ORCID...2
1 Hitit University, Faculty of Engineering, Food Engineering Department, Çorum, Türkiye
2 Dairy Research Institute, Ltd., Prague, Czech Republic

The resilience of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in commercial probiotic products remains a critical area of investigation, particularly regarding their capacity to survive the harsh gastric environment. Scientific guidelines indicate that at least 6 log CFU·g–1 of viable probiotics must reach the intestines to achieve therapeutic benefits, which often requires an initial concentration of 8–9 log CFU·g–1 in the product. However, national regulations may specify lower thresholds; for example, Turkish Food Legislation requires 6 log CFU·g–1 for probiotic products and 7 log CFU·g–1 for kefir products. This study evaluates the in vitro gastric survival of LAB in 20 probiotic-labelled foods and 5 supplements available in the Turkish market using a simulated gastric model. Results reveal that 75% of the marketed probiotic-labelled foods comply with their label claims. Additionally, 55% of the samples demonstrate LAB strains fully resistant to gastric acidity. Dairy-based products exhibit significantly better survival rates under simulated gastric conditions compared to supplements, highlighting their potential for enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

Keywords: probiotics; probiotics; gastrointestinal conditions; legislation; viability

Received: March 3, 2025; Revised: June 18, 2025; Accepted: July 3, 2025; Prepublished online: September 30, 2025 

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