Acidophilus

Acidophilus is a nutritional supplement product, often added to milk or sold as a capsule, which contains one or more of the following bacteria which aid in digestion: -

Table of contents

1) Lactobacillus acidophilus (A) 2) Lactobacillus casei (C) 3) Lactobacillus bulgaricus 4) Lactobacillus bulgaricus 5) Bifidobacterium bifidum(B) 6) Streptococcus thermophilus

Lactobacillus acidophilus (A)

Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of several bacteria in the genus Lactobacillus. It is commonly used commercially together with Streptococcus salivarius in the production of yogurt. L. acidophilus is considered a probiotic or "friendly" bacterium. These types of healthy bacteria inhabit the intestines and vagina and protect against some unhealthy organisms. The breakdown of food by L. acidophilus produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other byproducts that make the environment hostile for undesired organisms.

Lactobacillus casei (C)

Lactobacillus bulgaricus

Lactobacillus bulgaricus

(LBB) is one of several bacteria used for the production of yogurt (yogurt). It is named for Bulgaria, the country where it was first used (it thrives freely on the Balkan Peninsula. The bacterium feeds on milk and produces lactic acid which also helps to preserve the milk. It breaks down lactose and is often helpful to sufferers of lactose intolerance, whose digestive systems lack the enzymes to break down lactose to simpler sugars. While fermenting milk, Lactobacillus bulgaricus produces acetaldehyde which perfumes yogurt. One of the biggest importers of the bacterium is Japan.

According to legend, a Bulgarian shepherd in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) who did not have enough vessels to hold all the milk fom his sheep made a bag from a fresh lamb's hide and put the extra milk there. The next morning he found yoghurt in the bag, most likely generated by Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. Other legends suggest that yoghurt was known even to the Bulgars (a nomadic tribe, also known as the proto-Bulgarians), along with kumis, a refreshing, slightly alcoholic drink from mare's milk.

Between 13th and 18th century AD Bulgaria was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The word yoghurt most probably came into English from the way the people from Turkey call it- "yogurut".

In most Western countries, commercial yogurt production employs various starches, gums, gels, and stabilizers and in some instances may include little or no live bacteria culture. This kind of yogurt is often considered inferior to the fully-cultured variety.

The bacterium was first identified in 1905 by the Bulgarian doctor Stamen Grigorov.

Bifidobacterium bifidum(B)

Streptococcus thermophilus

Acidophilus contains bacteria that have a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationship with the human stomach. It helps break down complex food molecules and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. It is especially useful for people with bacterial or yeast infections or digestive problems, as well as people on antibiotics. Products of this type are generally referred to as probiotics.

Eli Metchnikoff won a Nobel Prize in 1908 for demonstrating an apparent link between Lactic Acid Bacteria (the ones included in Acidophilus) and extended lifespan.