Most probiotic foods at the markets worldwide are milkbased
and very few attempts are made for development of
probiotic foods using other fermentation substrates such as
cereals. Their large distribution and important nutritive value
have focused the attention on their use as raw materials for the
development of new fermented functional foods. Oats and
barley are major sources of beta-glucan, recognized as the main
functional component of cereal fibers. Studies have indicated
the hypocholesterolaemic effect of this compound, leading to
20–30% reduction of LDL-cholesterol, and to an expected
overall effect of reduced cardiovascular disease risk (