Saccharomyces boulardii as a Promising Microorganism for the Development of Probiotic Beverages: An Overview

Consumers have been seeking to consume healthy products with functional properties. Probiotic foods and beverages are types of functional food that help with gut health; thus, they have been gaining popularity. Saccharomyces boulardii is one of the few yeasts recognized as having probiotic properties. Thus, studying its functionality and aspects in beverages, which can be good vehicles for these microorganisms, is necessary. In this review, articles concerning probiotic beverages supplemented with Saccharomyces boulardii are discussed in terms of the general characteristics of yeast, variety of matrices, viability, physicochemical characteristics and technological aspects, inoculum preparation and application methods in matrices and in vitro analysis. Saccharomyces boulardii is a potential yeast that can be added to beverages. The addition of prebiotic microcapsules, which can also protect yeast after in vitro digestion, seems to improve viability. pH can decrease with increasing acidity as a result of fermentation. The final product may have significant differences in sensory aspects, although it can present good acceptance.