Purpose

This study aimed to identify the main and emerging structural patterns in the growth of the literature on probiotic research in food science, analyze current trends and determine gaps and present future projections.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 1,301 scientific documents retrieved from Scopus database dated from 1993 to 2021 were analyzed by using bibliometric and scientometric tools.

Findings

The most influencer journals, leading countries and hotspots were identified by scientometric mapping. “Lactic acid bacteria”, “lactobacillus”, “lactobacillus plantarum”, “viability”, “functional foods” and “microencapsulation” were the top keywords that indicate main emerging areas. After a clear understanding of the current situation, future directions can be better projected. Therefore, investigating new probiotic microorganisms with advanced health promoting properties, adapting the new organisms to various food formulations, identifying the probiotic potential of unexplored traditional fermented foods and developing of nondairy probiotic foods can be the studies of the future.

Research limitations/implications

Probiotic concept has been revised during years and valuable knowledge has been accumulated over past decades. The findings demonstrate the development and trends of probiotic related food science researches. This is the first study to address the limitations of prior systematic literature reviews by applying network analysis and guide future works to fill the identified gaps.

Originality/value

The probiotic concept has been revised for years and valuable knowledge has been accumulated. Within the expanding literature, scientometric and bibliometric analysis will provide valuable contribution for identifying the main patterns, analyzing current trends, determining gaps and presenting future projection. This work presents detailed analysis to determine tendencies in probiotic research in food science.

中文翻译：

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食品科学中益生菌的全球研究趋势：1993 年至 2021 年

目的

本研究旨在确定食品科学益生菌研究文献增长中的主要和新兴结构模式，分析当前趋势并确定差距并提出未来预测。

设计/方法/方法

使用文献计量学和科学计量学工具分析了从 Scopus 数据库检索到的 1993 年至 2021 年的总共 1,301 篇科学文献。

发现

最具影响力的期刊、领先国家和热点是通过科学计量制图确定的。“乳酸菌”、“乳酸菌”、“植物乳杆菌”、“活力”、“功能性食品”和“微胶囊化”是代表主要新兴领域的关键词。在清楚了解当前情况后，才能更好地预测未来的方向。因此，研究具有先进健康促进特性的新益生菌微生物、使新生物适应各种食品配方、识别未开发的传统发酵食品的益生菌潜力以及开发非乳制品益生菌食品可能是未来的研究方向。

研究限制/影响

益生菌的概念经过多年的修改，在过去的几十年中积累了宝贵的知识。研究结果展示了益生菌相关食品科学研究的发展和趋势。这是第一项通过应用网络分析来解决先前系统文献综述的局限性的研究，并指导未来的工作以填补已发现的空白。

原创性/价值

益生菌概念经过多年修正，积累了宝贵的知识。在不断扩大的文献中，科学计量学和文献计量学分析将为识别主要模式、分析当前趋势、确定差距和呈现未来预测做出宝贵贡献。这项工作提供了详细的分析，以确定食品科学中益生菌研究的趋势。