Abstract
Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer health benefits on the host. However, in recent years, several concerns on their use have been raised. In particular, industrial processing and storage of probiotic products are still technological challenges as these could severely impair cell viability. On the other hand, safety of live microorganisms should be taken into account, especially when administered to vulnerable people, such as the elderly and immunodeficient individuals. These drawbacks have enhanced the interest toward new products based on non-viable probiotics such as paraprobiotics and postbiotics. In particular, paraprobiotics, defined as “inactivated microbial cells (non-viable) that confer a health benefit to the consumer,” hold the ability to regulate the adaptive and innate immune systems, exhibit anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative and antioxidant properties and exert antagonistic effect against pathogens. Moreover, paraprobiotics can exhibit enhanced safety, assure technological and practical benefits and can also be used in products suitable for people with weak immunity and the elderly. These features offer an important opportunity to prompt the market with novel functional foods or nutraceuticals that are safer and more stable. This review provides an overview of central issues on paraprobiotics and highlights the urgent need for further studies aimed at assessing safety and efficacy of these products and their mechanisms of action in order to support decisions of regulatory authorities. Finally, a definition is proposed that unambiguously distinguishes paraprobiotics from postbiotics.
Highlights
Since the first observation by Metchnikoff more than 100 years ago, the popularity of probiotics boosted substantially
This review provides an overview of central issues on paraprobiotics and highlights the urgent need for further studies aimed at assessing safety and efficacy of these products and their mechanisms of action in order to support decisions of regulatory authorities
We propose defining the term “paraprobiotic” as “inactivated microbial cells, cells as a whole, including both structural components and synthesized or excreted metabolites that confer a health benefit to the consumer.”
Summary
Since the first observation by Metchnikoff more than 100 years ago, the popularity of probiotics boosted substantially. The scientific community and regulators ought to clear up doubts surrounding probiotic preparations, especially considering that the generation of probiotics comprising new species being used for this intended purpose without a long history of use (i.e. Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium and Bacteroides species) will keep being launched more and more often [1,14]. All these drawbacks related to the administration of viable microorganisms led to the interest in non-viable probiotic preparations. FFiigguurree11..CCuurrrreennttssttaatteeooffththeessccieienntitfiifcicliltieteraratuturereoonnpparaarpaprorboiboitoictisc:sd: disitsrtirbiubtuiotinonofopf appaepresrps upbulbis-hed ilnishtheed lianstth2e0layseta2r0s yineatrhseinmthaienmreasinearrecsheaarrcehaasr(esaosu(rscoeu: rcWe:eWb oebf SocfiSecniceen;ce2;021011–12–022002; 0u; pudpadtaetdedto 2t2o DDeecceemmbbeerr 22022, 02)0.20)
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