Current Trends and Future Prospective of Prebiotics as Therapeutic Food

Abstract

Abstract Prebiotics are therapeutic foods that fuel the growth of beneficial bacteria in the human gut. They are essentially recognized as nondigestible food elements isolated from natural sources, such as dietary fibers. The use of prebiotics in the food and pharmaceutical industries has increased because of their potential as promoters of human health. Their association with human health leads to the potential cure of various disorders including, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), antibiotic-associated diarrhea, colitis, constipation, cancer, and hepatic encephalopathy. Therefore, the production of prebiotics from novel sources is now an emerging research area. Known prebiotics, such as oligosaccharides, monosaccharides, polysaccharides, short-chain fatty acids, inulin, and fructans are generally derived from plant roots, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and marine herbs. However, their use as food supplements meets dietary requirements without making any trivial changes to their food preference. Although prebiotics comprise a varied group of biomolecules with diverse mechanisms of action, they all improve human health by enhancing the beneficial bacteria in the gut. This chapter debates the current trends and future prospective use of prebiotics as therapeutic foods, focusing on cutting-edge research outcomes of novel prebiotic sources, and their application in human health.