Probiotics, Prebiotics & Synbiotics:
The Power Trio for Gut Health
Understanding their roles, differences, and
benefits
Presented by: [Your Name]
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics
The word probiotics means Pro means " for " , in
support of, biotics means relating to living
organism.
Probiotic term first mention kollath in 1953
🦠 Probiotics are live microorganisms, usually
bacteria or yeast, that provide health benefits
when consumed in adequate amounts.
Balance between good and bad
bacteria in GIT
🟢 Good bacteria
These bacteria contribute to your health in various way
Example
Lactobacillus species
🔴Bad bacteria
Bifidiobacterium
These bacteria cause
Infection
Inflammation
Disrupt the gut balance
. The digestive system of human needs a balance between useful
and harmful bacteria for appropriate functioning
Maintaining a healthy and diverse gut microbiota is
crucial for overall health. The problem occur when the level of
bad bacteria exceeds the good ones
What disrupt the balance?
•Diet
•Antibiotics
•Other medication
•Stress
•Infectious
•Enviromental factors
•Age
Other problems are imbalance lead to digestive problems
Fatigue
•Urinary tract
•Muscle pain
•Diarrhea
Protecting of host immune system
Probiotics can protect the host immune system through a variety of mechanism
Modulating immune cell activity
Strengthening the gut barrier
Producing anti microbial substances
Probiotics also maintain the normal intestinal environment
Detoxify colon
Stimulate immune system
Lower cholestrol
Prevent lactose intolerance
The weakned immune system lead to various infectious
Skin
Vagina
Stomach intestine
Allergic reactions
Autoimmune disorder
Crohns disease
Ulcerative colitis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
The selection of probiotics involves several criteria to ensure their safety and
efficacy. Here are the key points:
1. Source: The microorganisms should originate from the human
gastrointestinal tract.
2. Safety: The selected strain must be non-pathogenic, sensitive to
antibiotics, and not resistant to antibiotics. It should also not produce
biogenic amines.
3. Proven Health Benefits: The strain should have documented health
benefits, such as improving gut health or enhancing immune function.
4. Viability: The strain should remain viable throughout its shelf life to ensure
it can exert its intended effects.
5. Dosage: The dosage should be appropriate for human consumption and
consistent with the established health benefits.
Selection of probiotics
1. Resist the host's natural barriers The probiotic should be able to survive stomach acid, digestive
enzymes, and bile salts.
2.Adhere to intestinal epithelium
The probiotic should stick to the lining of the intestines and block spots where harmful bacteria might
attach.
3. Propagation under commercial conditions: The probiotic should grow well in the conditions used
for production and storage without losing its effectiveness.
4. Functional properties The probiotic should have the specific health benefits that are claimed for it.
5. Relevance The probiotic should come from a source that is safe for humans and recognized as such
by health authorities.
6. Technological stability The probiotic should have good growth rates, be easy to produce and store,
and maintain its viability.
7. Competitive nature The probiotic should be able to compete with harmful bacteria in the gut, resist
antibiotics, and survive acidic environments.
8. Functioning: The probiotic should provide real health benefits or produce helpful substances.
Safety of human origin probiotics
Probiotics of human origin are the most successful in safety and commercial
aspects
Many probiotic microbes originated from human are being used in
commercial products
Recently, WHO/FAO experts pointed out that specific course of actions
executed by a particular strain
Potentially probiotic strains in human intestinal flora include
Lactobacillus spp include
L. Acidophilus
L. Buchneri
L. Crispatus
L. Fermentum
Bifidiobacterium Spp
B. Dentium
B. Bifidum
B. Pseudocatenulatum
Enterococcus spp
E. faecium
E. Faecalis
Antibiotic resistance aspects
Some probiotics can resist antibiotics and might transfer resistance genes which is risky.
Strains like bididobacterium usually do not contain these genes.its important to check this
before using them as probiotics.
Physiological aspects
Probiotics strain should:
1Stomach acid and bile
2Adhere to gut lining
3Compete with harmful microbes
Industrial/Technological aspects
1Probiotics often die off after a few weeks of stopping use.
2The must stay stable during food processing and storage
3Microbes should remain effective even if the food texture and form change
4long storage can reduce probiotics activity and cause bad taste due to unwanted
bacteria
Problems in selecting probiotics
Choosing the right probiotics strain is complex due to varying traits.
In vitro test
Lab test ( in vitro) must be done before testing probiotics in live humans or animals( in
vivo).
In vivo survival
The strains of in - vitro trails is followed by in - vivo experiments to monitor the stability of
probiotics through gastrointestinal tract .
Role of probiotics in functional food development
Probiotics - supplemented foods have been used for many years in USA, Europe
and Japan. The biological nature of microorganisms colony forming unit( CFU)
count per serving claimed functional benefits
Disease prevention by probiotics
Probiotics are helpful against many diseases.
Probiotics and Antibiotic - Related Diarrhea:
Antibiotics can cause dysbiosis , an imbalance in gut microbiota .
Probiotics and Ulcer
Diet play significant role in peptic ulcers development.
Consuming fermented foods ( containing probiotics) lower the risk of
peptic ulcers.
Probiotics reduce inflammation and promote healing in the
gastrointestinal tract.
Specific probiotic strains ( e.g., B. Bifidium and L. Acidophilus) are
effective in treating gastritis.
Proposed mechanisms for cancer inhibition by probiotics
Increase immune response of hostel
Production of antimutagen
Suppression of DNA damage
Decrease the serum glucose level , resulting in reduced growth and proliferation of
tumor cell
Cell wall preparation of bididobacterium has tumor suppressive effect.
Lactose intolerance
Characterized by the deficiency of lactase the enzyme responsible for breaking down
lactose
Certain strains of probiotics such as lactobacillus and bididobacterium can improve
lactose digestion.
probiotics effect on cholesterol , mineral absorption and hypertension
Probiotics can lower blood cholesterol by hydrolyzing conjugated bile acids .
They enhace mineral absorption through various mechanism including increasing
solubility and reducing inflammation
Probiotics also produce bioactive peptides that inhibit angiotensin - converting enzyme,
helping to normalize blood pressure.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Probiotics help alleviate IBS, symptoms by modulating the immune response,
inhibiting bacterial growth and enhancing epithelial cell barrier
Prebiotics:
Prebiotics are food ingredients that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria
in the gut.Also defined as selectively fermented ingredients that change the
gut microbiota composition and/or activity, benefiting host's health.
Criteria:
* Resist breakdown in stomach.
* Be fermentable by gut microbes.
* Stimulate growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria, and enhance
health of host.
Prebiotics belong to class of non-digestible carbohydrates such as
oligosaccharides and polysaccharides.
Natural sources:
Wheat, oats, banana, onion, garlic, soybeans and chicory.
Major prebiotics:
1. Frutans
2. Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)
3. Resistant starch (RS) and other oligosaccharides
Frutans:
Frutans are the soluble fiber with prebiotic properties. They are comprised of
oligofructose, inulin, levan, and graminan.
Inulin has degree of polymerization (DP) upton 60
whereas fructo-oligosaccharide has DP less than 10.
Bacteria and flowering plants are main sources of frutans.
Rye has highest quantity of frutans among the cereals i.e., up to 6.4%.
Classification of Frutans:
1. Inulin-type Frutans
2. Levan or phlein
3. Mixed levans or graminan
4. Levan neoseries
5. Inulin neoseries
Technological Properties of Fructans (Inulin & FOS):
Chicory Inulin:
•White, odorless powder with a bland, neutral taste.
•Moderately soluble in water with low thickness (viscosity).
•Forms a creamy, spreadable texture when mixed with liquids—works well as a fat replacer.
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS):
•Taste is similar to fructose but only 30% as sweet as sucrose.
•Higher water holding capacity than sucrose.
•More water-soluble than inulin.
•Good stability due to strong β-fructose bonds across pH levels.
Uses in Food:
•Suitable for cakes, biscuits, cereals, desserts, and dairy items.
•Improves mouthfeel and reduces aftertaste when combined with sweeteners like aspartame.
Industrial Production of Inulin and Oligofructose:
Inulin Production:
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is the primary source due to high and stable inulin content (>70%). The
production process of inulin is as under:
1.Extraction: Hot water diffusion, similar to sugar beet processing.
2.Refining: Uses sugar/starch industry tech (ion-exchangers), evaporation, and spray-drying.
Oligofructose Production:
Two methods:
1. Enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin using endo-inulinase, then spray-dried.
2. Fructosyl-transferase enzymes convert sucrose into oligofructose.
Galacto-oligosaccharides:
Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are sugars related to lactose. There are two main types: one with
extra galactose units, and another made from lactose using enzymes, called trans-galacto-
oligosaccharides (TOS). Some GOS come from lactulose and act as prebiotics. Others come from
sucrose and are called raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO).
Resistant starch and other oligosaccharides:
Resistant starches are starches that aren’t digested in the upper gut. They help make butyrate, a
beneficial compound. Some bacteria can digest them, but Ruminococcus bromii is essential for this.
Polydextrose, a glucose-based fiber, helps grow good bacteria like Bifidobacteria. Pectic
oligosaccharides (POS), made from pectin, vary depending on their plant source.
Synbiotics:
Synbiotics are combination of probiotics and prebiotics that synergistically promote
the growth of beneficial microbes, thus promoting gastrointestinal health. They may
also enhance immune response and protect against infection .
Synbiotics are designed to promote host health by following ways :
• improving survival and adherence of probiotics in large intestine.
• Modulating the metabolism of probiotics in large intestine or selectively
stimulating growth of beneficial microbes.
• Improving microbiota composition in intestinal tract .
Future perspective:
Genetic modification of microbes is being done to provide special health effects .For
example,genetically modified bacteroides strain when administrated with xylan
produce specific proteins to stimulate the immune system in the intestine.
Research is also exploring their role in managing gut associated diseases and
modulating the immune system.
Prebiotics impart numerous health promoting properties.
Insulin has demonstrated anti-tumorigenic potential by enhancing apoptosis,
arresting cell cycle and inactivating carcinogens. Moreever prebiotic help
increasing mineral absorption by modifying gut pH .
They also have important role in the management of obesity, diabetes,
cholesterol reduction, balancing lipid content, improve digestion, reduce IBS
symptoms, enhance nutrients absorption
Improved Digestion:
Prebiotics, non-digestible fibers, improve digestion by acting as a food source
for beneficial gut bacteria.
Prebiotics help maintain a healthy gut microbiome, which is crucial for proper
digestion and nutrient absorption.
Regulated Bowel Movements:
By supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria, prebiotics can help regulate
bowel movements, potentially reducing constipation and improving regularity. It
can also reduce the risk of irritable bowel syndrome.
Enhanced Nutrient Absorption:
A healthy gut microbiome, supported by prebiotics, can improve the absorption
of nutrients like calcium and other minerals, contributing to overall health.
Probiotic enhance the absorption of minerals like calcium ,magnesium, zinc in
body resulting in increasing bone mineral content and bone mass.
