cell
viability is an important attribute to cell functionality
(Ouwehand and Salminen 1998) and cell functionality is
mainly influenced by the food matrix components
(Ranadheera et al. 2010). To assess the viability of Lb. casei
cells in commercially available non-dairy drinks, the growth
inhibitory capacity of the drinks was studied using welldiffusion
agar assay. Out of 13 non-dairy drinks, only citric
orange juice affected the growth of both strains with an inhibition
zone of 6 to 7 mm for both strains, measured from the
edge of the well.