Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Traditional Dry-Cured Fermented Foods with Probiotic Effect: Selection, Mechanisms of Action and Applications

Traditional dry-cured and fermented foods are part of the diet of many countries all over the world. These products are a source of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Some of the LAB isolated from these products have a variety of probiotic effects on the consumers, among others, maintaining gastrointestinal homeostasis, enhancing immunity, providing antioxidant effects, preventing vaginal and urinary tract infections, and treating obesity. In addition, LAB has antagonistic properties against human pathogens and foodborne bacteria. This review summarizes methods for isolation, characterization, and selection of LAB with probiotic effects. Besides the effect of the selected probiotic LAB, focusing on gastrointestinal adhesion and colonization, and the described mechanisms of action, emphasizing their potential to advance nutritional innovations, will also be discussed. Furthermore, the advantages of the application of selected probiotic LAB in traditional dry-cured and fermented foods and in plant-based analogues will also be reviewed.