EVALUATING PREBIOTIC AND PROBIOTIC FUNCTIONALITY:AN OVERVIEW OF AVAILABLE IN VITRO METHODOLOGIES

摘要

Prebiotics are non-viable food supplements that fortify the positive bacteria indigenous to the gut. For an ingredient to be prebiotic - successfully fortifying the target bacteria in the colon/lower gut - it is essential that it possesses excellent stability characteristics following ingestion, where it would then come into contact with gastric acid, bile secretions and pancreatic enzymes. Prebiotic ingredients must not be digested or absorbed by the body, and must pass through to the colon where they are fermented by positive bacteria to stimulate their growth and activity1. The most common probiotic bacteria existing in the gut and stimulated by prebiotics are members of the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Hitherto, bifidobacteria are the most common target microorganisms for prebiotics. This is mainly due to the fact that they are found in higher numbers in the colon than lactobacilli.