New and Tailored Prebiotics: Established Applications
Shanthi G. Parkar, Paul A. Blatchford, Caroline C. Kim, Douglas I. Rosendale and Juliet Ansell
from: Probiotics and Prebiotics: Current Research and Future Trends (Edited by: Koen Venema and Ana Paula do Carmo). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2015) Pages: 289-314.
Abstract
‘Prebiotics' have been recognised for nearly 20 years, and have recently been defined as selectively fermented ingredients that that modulate the gut microbial composition and/or activity to deliver benefits to human health, through a range of host and microbial derived mediators. Here, we discuss the emerging range of biomolecules with potential prebiotic properties beyond the well-characterised galacto- and fructo-oligosaccharides. These include carbohydrate-based foods that provide accessible glycoside substrates to the gut microbiome, polyphenols and glucosinolates, which comprise both fermentable sugar moieties and/or alternative phytochemical-based substrates. We examined the microbial and molecular responses to potential prebiotics that validate their benefits to host health in terms of the ability of the prebiotics to alter the gut microbiome and the molecular responses that mediate the link between prebiotics and established host benefits including improved gastrointestinal function read more ...