Growth and effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on selected beneficial bacteria
Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host when administered in adequate amounts (Food and Agriculture Drganization, 2001). By virtue of this definition, foods containing probiotic microorganisms are placed in the functional food classification. Even though probiotic microorganisms have been a part of the daily diet for centuries, human health and the treatment of diseases related to these microorganisms have only been researched in the last two decades (Marco et al., 2017; Haddadin et al., 2012). Ot has been proven in in vivo and in vitro experiments that probiotics contribute to lactose digestion (Oqbal et al.,2014), enhance the epithelial barrier (Mikov et al., 2014; Gogineni et al.,2013), prevent diarrhea or decrease diarrhea duration caused by various reasons (Sarowska et al., 2013; Htwe et al., 2008), prevent constipation and allergic reactions (Malaguarnera et al., 2013), and offer alternative medicine to heart and vascular (Thushara et al., 2016), upper respiratory tract (Tapiovaara, 2016), and gingival diseases (Joshi & Pandharbale, 2015).