A new EU-funded project called "Crownalife" has been set up both to assess structural and functional alterations of the intestinal microflora with ageing in Europe, and to validate functional foods that promote health by improving the function of the intestinal microflora in the elderly. Species of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were isolated from faecal samples of healthy elderly Italian subjects and identified for a possible probiotic use in functional foods. Total anaerobic and aerobic, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium counts were performed on the faecal samples. Colonies grown on selective media were identified using enzymatic tests. Lactobacillus fermentum and Bifidobacterium longum were the most represented species and could be considered good candidates to be further characterized and then utilized to design appropriate dietary strategies. Some of the identification results related to Bifidobacterium species were validated by using PCR procedure based on 16S rRNA gene sequences species-specific primers showing a good concordance rate with the enzymatic method. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.