4. Conclusion
This study demonstrates the diversity of prospective probio- tic LAB in dairy and non-dairy food products from the Western part of India. Few isolates, L. plantarum 86, W. cibaria 142 & 92 and P. parvulus AI1 showed considerable probiotic potential such as considerable tolerance to low pH and bile salts as well as antimicrobial activity against clinical bacterial strains along with EPS production feature. The antibacterial activity exhibited by these isolates may be useful to control the undesirable microbiota either in food system or during GI tract applications. Nevertheless, in future it is essential to prove their in vivo performance for better documentation as a desirable probiotic strain as many other physiological condi- tions could affect the survival of the strains.