The earliest possible consumption of probiotics was through the intake of fermented dairy and other food products. The people in ancient civilizations have made the habit of administration of the fermented food products due to the beneficial effects on their health. A good knowledge and thorough observation about their food was what made possible for such habits. The probiotic origin through dairy products can be traced back to the very beginning of the earliest civilizations. Their mention can be even found within the sacred books of Hindus and Christians. A large number of traditional fermented food products were routinely used by people all around the globe. Many of those foods were in use due to their potential therapeutic roles in humans even before the bacterial existence was discovered.
Probiotics in Ancient Times:
The great Greek physician Hippocrates had advocated the functional food concept a long time back through his theory, ‘let food be your medicine’. The historical association between Lactobacillus and fermented milk produces enough evidence that during that time the dairy product consumption was as good as the intake of probiotics. The preparation of dairy products through fermentation methods also presents one of the oldest methods of choice for preserving food for prolonged period of time. According to available literature the concept of fermented milk existed in Middle East a long time before the era of Phoenicia. During the early 7000 BC, the traditional foods of the Egyptians like Laban Khad and Rayeb were prepared through the fermentative action of bacteria what we now know as probiotics. They believe in traditional claims that even Abraham credited healthy habit of fermented milk consumption for his longevity.
Although the use of fermented milk products was initially practiced in the East and Middle parts of Asia, it was rapidly spread to Russia and Europe by the Mongols, Huns and Tartars when they raided these regions. Subsequently, a number of fermented milk products including kefir and yoghurt have found their origins in the Eastern Europe or Russia.
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The relationship that exists between nutrition and diet with human health and diseases is known as dietetics. Lack of application of dietetics can lead to diseased condition in individuals while at the same time a proper utilization of it can help them recover from critical medical stages to an overall improved health. Therefore, the range of application of dietetics varies between healthy condition, clinical treatment, research and a wider reach out. The nutritional requirements vary between individuals. The requirements are also dependent on age, sex, body type, work culture, etc. The basic thing is that the food intake can greatly influence the health of human beings. Many times it has been a common observation that our dietetic practices are not well enough leading to various ailments. A number of dietetic food products have been tried out to complement the requirements of our body. In recent times there is a thrust towards the inclusion of probiotics and related products as functional foods to follow good dietetics. Such usage of probiotics is tried out for infants as well as for adults. There are a number of completed clinical trials to this effect with positive end results. 
Cholesterol has been a double edged sword for human health. On one side it is an essential component of the basic building blocks of different tissues of the body while at the other its elevated levels in the blood can lead to severe heart complications. According to a recent prediction by the World Health Organization (WHO) heart ailment related diseases will be the major death cause in humans by 2030 affecting nearly 23.6 million individuals all over the world. Higher cholesterol levels have been shown to share significant linkage with 45% Western European heart attacks. Can probiotics with their multi-beneficial effects be tried out in the remedy of the diseased condition by reducing cholesterol levels? It has been seriously considered and in many cases the administration of the probiotic products resulted in significant improvements in the recipients.
Lipid metabolism is an important aspect for the production of energy and the maintenance of health of human beings. Breakdown of lipids is intricately associated with the carbohydrate metabolism and oxidation of fatty acid. Initially the lipid is hydrolyzed into long chain fatty acids and glycerol within the cytoplasm. However, there are several factors that may influence the ability of the lipid metabolism activity of the human system. A deviation from the balanced breakdown of these ingredients of diet may result in various side effects and often chronic health disorders. Since, the probiotics has beneficial effects on the gut microflora thereby modulating metabolism, its role in mediating the desired end to the fat intake has been contemplated. 
The menace of obesity is on an all time high and has affected children, adolescents and adults throughout the world so much so that it may be called an epidemic. The reason behind obesity is multi-factorial and may encompass genetic, hormonal, and neurological as also physical and dietary activities of the individuals concerned. Recently scientists from different parts of the globe have suggested that the gut microbiota from various taxonomic backgrounds might as well have a big role to play in the cause of this diseased condition. In addition, the different genes associated with this microflora can modulate and be linked with obesity. Obesity can lead to different other human disorders and therefore needs to be curbed. One of the ways of regulating the disordered state of the health is to burn up the intake calories through proper workout. However, with our present day lifestyle and busy schedule it becomes really a tough task to bring this habit within our work system with a regular effect. Will it not be just wonderful if that role is being played by some of our friends, the probiotics? Recent developments indicate that it can be quite a possibility. 
A high proportion of the probiotic microbial population is microaerophilic (requires very little oxygen for their growth) or even anaerobic (grows in absence of oxygen). Oxygen at higher concentration can be detrimental for the growth and proliferation of microorganisms. Excess of oxygen in the system will result in the formation of reactive oxygen species or high energy containing free radicals. These reactive oxygen agents can damage the membrane system and other organelles, creating ionic imbalance thereby killing the cells. In order to protect them from the damaging effects of oxygen, many bacteria possess oxygen scavenging enzymes that can neutralize the toxic effects of oxygen. However, most of the probiotic bacteria due to their origin in low oxygen content environment lack the enzymes or the basic mechanism to retaliate to such conditions. As such, the viable count of the probiotics seems to be highly compromised under packaged condition or in food products like yoghurt when exposed to oxygen. Since, the viability of the probiotics is an important issue in order for it to act effectively, methods should be devised to make them fight the menace of oxygen toxicity. Work on both natural and artificial ways of inhibiting it is in progress. 
According to the definition of WHO, the beneficial microbial strains in order to be called probiotics should be ‘live’. Therefore, the viability of the probiotics is an important issue which needs to be addressed so that they can render their beneficial effects. However, a number of factors compromise the viability of probiotic lives within the food and other supplementation products besides those faced during the gastrointestinal passage. The potentially beneficial but relatively susceptible weaker strains are prone to severe damage during the harsh conditions faced while processing and curing as well as in food products. Efforts are being carried out to improve the viability of the probiotic strains. But in order to make the process really effective, one should be fully aware of the various agents that are capable of challenging the survival of the probiotics in packaged food products. The major thrust would not only be on reducing these adverse affects but also to make the strains more resistant to them. 
There has been a great rise in interest about probiotics and related products with the wide range of benefits that it can render. However, research suggests that a minimum colony forming unit (CFU) of the probiotic strains is needed in order to provide the desired beneficial traits. The poor survival of the bacteria as indicated by several reports is a major question to that effect. Several environmental factors like the oxygen toxicity (as most of the probiotic strains are microaerophilic in nature) challenges its existence during processing and storage. Also, the passage through the gastro-intestinal tract offers a variety of extreme conditions like low pH that reduces a significant proportion of the probiotic population. So, efforts are being carried out to develop and design effective modes of administration of the probiotics to the recipients in forms that are resistant to the different survival challenges and increase its overall viability. Microencapsulation is one of the latest technologies that can increase the survival rate of the probiotic bacteria. 
Many types of probiotic products with desired traits are produced throughout the world and delivered to the target recipients. With the classical view in mind, the bacteria need to be live to exert their probiotic effects. Indeed, it is the case in most of the situations. Also, the regulatory guidelines of WHO state that the probiotics need to be administered at some minimum CFU. Wouldn’t it be fantastic then if the probiotics could be quantified? With the advancement in scientific technology it is now quite a reality to quantify the probiotic strains. The dairy products besides containing the useful microflora might contain many undesired fungi, bacteria and viruses. The quantification methods thus employed should be specific enough to distinguish between the useful and undesired bacterial cells and their strains. Refinements in the traditional methods of bacterial cell quantification has brought about a revolution in this field and one can understand what they are consuming as also their relative amounts to maintain the proper probiotic usage guidelines.