The Role of Probiotics and Prebiotics in Human Health
A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2017) | Viewed by 18838
Special Issue Editor
Interests: probiotics; bioactive compounds in foods; dairy products for their use in food formulations as health promoting nutraceuticals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Interest in improving human health through diet, and its active ingredients, has attracted many researchers, as well as industrialists and legislators, especially in the last few decades. Generally, fermented foods contain many lactic acid bacteria, some of which have been recognised as probiotics, such as those belong to Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., which could be part of the microbiota in the gut.
Prebiotics, which have been recognised as non-digestible constituents in foods, are preferentially utilised by probiotic bacteria in the lower part of the digestive system. They are part of almost everyday diet of plant origin. The presence of both, probiotics and prebiotics, can result in symbiosis and several health claims have been attributed to the presence of both.
Most of the health claims that have been attributed to probiotics are for their direct or indirect physiological role in human body, which include minimising the risk of heart disease through cholesterol reduction, lowering blood pressure and as anti-thrombotic agents. The other health benefits include anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial activities, modulating the immune system and many others. Such improvement in human health could minimise the reliance on pharmaceutical drugs and to emphasis more on nutraceuticals. There are still a lot of research that is taking place for the safe delivery of the probiotics through microencapsulation and the mechanism of action for all these health benefits.
Dr. Ara Kanekanian
Guest Editor
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