According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO), the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) and the Chinese Nutrition Society's "Probiotics and Health Experts' Knowledge" Given the definition, probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in sufficient quantities, confer health benefits to the host.

Most of them "live" in the human digestive tract and reproductive system. They can enhance human health in a variety of ways and can produce clear health effects, such as improving the composition of intestinal microorganisms, Regulate human immune function and prevent or reduce the occurrence of various diseases. For example, probiotics can prevent Clostridium difficile-related diarrhea and assist in the treatment of gastric Helicobacter pylori infection.

Most of the probiotic strains currently available for industrial production of food and dietary supplements belong to the Lactobacillus group (such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei), Bifidobacterium species (such as Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium animalis, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium thermophilus), Streptococcus thermophilus, Kluyveromyces marxianus, etc. In my country, there are more than 20 kinds of common probiotics.

It is particularly important to emphasize that probiotics are strain-specific, which means that when we talk about probiotics, we must clearly identify the strain number (such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32, Bifidobacterium longum) Bacillus BB536, etc.), otherwise it is inaccurate.

In addition, since the vast majority of probiotics are anaerobic bacteria, after being taken orally by the human body, they may die during the process of passing through the stomach and small intestine. Only when the number is large, or when they undergo better After coating, a very small number of "lucky ones" can enter the large intestine and survive. Therefore, you need to pay special attention to the following two points when taking probiotic preparations:

① Generally take it with warm water or warm milk after a meal. Avoid water temperatures that are too high;

② Taking live bacteria preparations with antacids, antibacterials, medicinal activated carbon, etc. may weaken the efficacy, so avoid taking them at the same time or at least 2 hours apart.

What are prebiotics?

After understanding "probiotics", let's talk about its good partner "prebiotics".

The concept of prebiotics was proposed by Glenn Gibso, the father of prebiotics. It refers to some substances that are not digested and absorbed by the host but can selectively promote the metabolism and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the body, thereby improving the health of the host. Organic matter (generally non-starch polysaccharides or oligosaccharides).

According to the "Knowledge of Prebiotics and Health Experts" released by the Chinese Nutrition Society in 2021, prebiotics are a type of food that cannot be absorbed and utilized by the human body, but can be absorbed by specific microorganisms (such as intestinal (beneficial bacteria in the tract) selectively utilize food ingredients to provide health benefits to the host.

Although prebiotics cannot directly affect the body, they can promote the growth and reproduction of probiotics, inhibit the colonization and growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestine, thereby improving the intestinal microecology. In layman's terms, Prebiotics are the "nutrients" or "food" for probiotics.

For example, galactooligosaccharides can promote the growth of bifidobacteria and can be fermented into short-chain fatty acids by intestinal flora, thereby helping to improve intestinal physiological functions. Not only that, but some prebiotics can improve calcium absorption and promote bone health, help improve stool texture and frequency, promote the metabolism of nutrients, and can even act on the immune system to reduce the risk of infection and allergies.

The latest definition of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) points out that inulin (as shown in the figure below), fructooligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides and other oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, plant extracts, etc. Saturated fatty acids, phenols, etc. can all be used as prebiotics, but the higher level of evidence is still those types of oligosaccharides in the classic definition.

Currently, most prebiotics are used as food additives and are used in the production of spreads, dairy products, biscuits, chocolates, cereals, etc., while lactulose is a common prebiotic ingredient in hospitals.

In addition, prebiotics are also found in many natural high-fiber foods, such as some fruits, vegetables and grains.

From the definition of probiotics and postbiotics, probiotics emphasize live bacteria, while Postbiotics do not contain live bacteria, that is, microbial cells are intentionally inactivated in a certain way, and mainly include components such as inactivated bacteria, bacterial metabolites, and bacterial cell lysates. Since postbiotics do not contain live bacteria, they are naturally highly safe and stable, which effectively solves the difficulties encountered in the application process of probiotics and greatly expands the commercial types and applications of postbiotics. scene.

Generally, traditional live bacteria-type probiotics need to go through the traditional three steps before they can exert a healthy effect on the human body.

Part 1: Embedding technology is needed to protect live bacteria from passing through gastric acid and bile salts.

Part 2: The intestines need to have good bacterial phase. These live bacteria In order to successfully colonize the intestines.

Part 3: It takes 48 to 72 hours for these viable bacteria to produce metabolites that have healthy effects on the human body.

We usually talk about The dead bacteria represent the bacteria that failed to pass the above three tests and died in the human body.

Postbiotics are inactivated bacteria produced using patented heat-sealing technology. High-tech equipment is used to simulate the human intestinal environment to directly generate metabolites that have healthy effects on the human body. After drinking, they are directly Absorption does not require the traditional three steps of living bacteria. Postbiotics are preparations of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that are beneficial to host health, and mainly include components such as inactivated bacteria, bacterial metabolites, and bacterial cell lysates. In the field of microbial research, postbiotics have become a research hotspot in recent years and a new solution for intestinal health. Compared with probiotics, postbiotics have outstanding advantages such as oxygen resistance, high temperature resistance, processing resistance and durability, and there are no serious safety risks such as bacterial translocation, drug resistance gene transmission or pathogenic bacteria contamination, and no colonization is required. It plays a role in balancing intestinal flora, enhancing immunity, regulating physiological functions and promoting healthy growth of animals.

With the advent of the era of antibiotic replacement, postbiotics will become a new type of healthy raw material with broad application prospects and huge commercial value. Postbiotics can be used in food, animal health and other fields. For example, postbiotics are added to food, animal feed additives, etc.