Abstract
Prebiotics are supplements or foods that contain nondigestible food ingredients that selectively stimulate the favourable growth and/or enhance the activities of indigenous probiotic bacteria. Prebiotic therapies have been found to cure gut related diseases such as constipation relief, suppression of diarrhoea, reduction of the risks of osteoporosis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease associated with dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, obesity, and possibly type 2 diabetes. Fast life style of humans has changed the regular diets which were sufficiently enriched with fibers needed for proper gut work. Prebiotics are special fibers having selective fermenting ingredients that are needed by microbiota of human gut. Human colon is one of the body’s most metabolically active organs because of the presence of microbiota. Lot of work has been done to overcome the problems related to the market foods having low fibre. Thus, this review will focus on the health benefits of prebiotics and their application in foods.
Highlights
The prebiotic word was first introduced by Gibson and Roberfroid in 1995 and is defined as “a non digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and improves host health” [1]
Prebiotics are typically oligosaccharides or more complex saccharides that are selectively used by commensal bacteria, including species considered to be beneficial for the human host
An investigation conducted to see the influence of prebiotic compounds (FOS and inulin), probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus casei-01, Bifidobacterium lactis B94) and ripening time (0-60 days) on the free fatty acid (FFA) profile of cheese, with special prominence on the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content. 109-1010 cfu g-1 cheese were recorded in both probiotic and synbiotic cheeses after 60 days of ripening, in spite of harsh conditions of low pH values (4.1-5.1) and low moisture content (
Summary
The prebiotic word was first introduced by Gibson and Roberfroid in 1995 and is defined as “a non digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and improves host health” [1]. The most commonly used prebiotics to develop the foodstuffs, including baby foods, are fructans (inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides, FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) [12,13] They are believed as GRAS and their health-benefiting effects have been widely studied. The pH and relatively low absorptive state of colon further supports large microbial colonisation and growth [23] Due to this microflora, the colon has the ability to undertake complex hydrolytic digestive functions [24]. The main pathogenic organisms responsible for gastroenteritis are Shigellae, Salmonellae, Yersina enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Vibro cholera and Clostridus perfringens These pathogens grow and colonise within the gastrointestinal tract and invade the host tissue or they secrete toxins in the foods before ingestion. Prebiotics help to increase the population of useful organisms in large intestines that may possibly help in preventing gastroenteritis
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