Postbiotics: Health Benefits, Food Applications, and Regulatory Perspectives

Pbiotics are live microbial formulations which when administered in adequate quantities confer health benefit to host (Kumar et al., 2020).

- V.Rishita¹, S.Nandini¹, G. Hemanth Kumar¹, C.Shruthika¹, A.Surendra Babu²*

A prebiotic is a type of food ingredient that can't be digested by the body but helps improve health by encouraging the growth or activity of certain beneficial bacteria in the colon. This, in turn, supports overall well-being (Davani-Davari et al., 2019). Synbiotic are supplements that combine probiotics (beneficial bacteria) and prebiotics (food ingredients). They work together to enhance the effectiveness of probiotics and provide specific health benefits. The prebiotics act as food for the probiotics, helping them survive longer in the digestive system than they would on their own (Sekhon et al., 2010).

Postbiotics are a more recent concept, following prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics. They are the leftover products from the metabolism of probiotic bacteria or gut microbes. In simpler terms, postbiotics are byproducts of the activities of these beneficial microbes. Postbiotics are "magic bullets" that help control important molecules in the immune system and influence various signalling pathways (Babu et al., 2023).

Postbiotics are non-living probiotics or harmless metabolites found in places like the mouth, skin, urogenital tract, and gut. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) defines postbiotics as preparations of inactive microorganisms or their components that provide health benefits to the host. These can include dead microbial cells, their components, or beneficial metabolites (Babu et al., 2023).

The ISAPP has set criteria for preparing postbiotics:

• Identifying the microbes by sequencing their genes.

• Clearly outlining how the microbes are inactivated and the matrix used.

• Confirming that the microbes are truly inactive.

• Showing evidence of health benefits through controlled, high-quality studies.

• Detailing the composition of the postbiotic preparation.