The potential applications of probiotics on dairy and non-dairy foods focusing on viability during storage

•Viability of probiotics in fermented dairy products.•Viability of probiotics in desserts products.•Viability of probiotics in cereals-based products.•Viability of probiotics in fruits and vegetables based products.•Viability of probiotics in meats products.

Probiotic foods products are a fast growing area of functional food, as found to be strongly accepted by the consumers. The application of probiotics in dairy products is already common. However, the food industry is seeking to produce different varieties of probiotic foods other than dairy products with potential health benefits. The success of new probiotic foods depends on the ability of probiotics to provide sufficient numbers of viable cells that beneficially modify the gut microflora of the host. It is highly desirable that the viable counts of probiotics in the final product to be at least 106–107 cfu ml−1 to offering health benefits to the consumers. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the applications of selected probiotics in dairy and non-dairy foods and their viability during the storage.