Editor’s Choice Article | Probiotics and Prebiotics as Functional Foods: State of the Art

 

Author(s): Amin Mousavi Khaneghah*, Yadolah Fakhri.

Journal Name: Current Nutrition & Food Science

 

Foods, besides their nutritional value, are used to be as a tool in maintaining of physical and mental well-being and prevent disease. Based on the definition of Functional foods as foods, which may offer health benefits beyond basic nutrition, functional foods, are categorized as foods, not medicine. Among the last decades, the growing market for functional foods, representing both opportunities and challenges to food producers as well academic sections to cover such demand and furthermore conquer the acceptance of consumer. In this article, an overview regarding the probiotics as well as prebiotics as outstanding components of functional foods, compatibility and their use in food products have been reviewed.

Read out full article here: http://www.eurekaselect.com/161293/article

Press Release for EurekAlert! Probiotics: Novel biosynthetic tool to develop metallic nanoparticles

This research article by Dr. Nida Akhtar et al has been published in Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2017

 

Probiotics, being live microbes, exert numerous beneficial health effects on the host cells. Such probiotics are commercially available as dietary supplements, foods, pharmaceutical formulations. Yakult, Activia yogurt, DanActive fermented milk provide health benefits like boosting up the immune system, treating digestive problems, mental illness, neurological disorders, cancer, etc. However, the use of probiotic bacteria to develop metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) constitutes novel research nowadays. Research inputs and patent reports according to an article published in the journal Recent Patents on Drug Delivery and Formulation highlight their potential in the field of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medicine and biotechnology as well.

Prof. Kamla Pathak, the corresponding author said: “Our review findings reinstate the potential of probiotic bacteria to produce MNPs. Patents (US, EP and WIPO patents) during 2009-2016 reaffirm the research and inspire the scientific community worldwide for future exploration. This is the first review article in this aspect that systematically tracks the intellectual aspects of applications and synthesis of MNPs by probiotic bacteria. Prof. Pathak said, “Our study details the interventions on which research on MNPs is on. Gold, silver, magnetic, selenium, iron oxide, magnetic-optical iron oxide-gold core-shell, magnesium oxide, copper oxide, aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide nanoparticles have applications ranging from their usage in analytical methodologies to treat and diagnose diseases. Specifically, gold NPs are suggested for drug delivery and treating lymphocytic leukemia; silver and copper NPs for antimicrobial activity and zinc oxide NPs as anti-corrosive, antifungal and as an additive in food products such as breakfast cereals. These NPs need to be explored more as no patent till date was found on them based on their biosynthesis, according to the author’s report.

For more information about the article, please visit: http://www.eurekaselect.com/node/150848/article/probiotics-as-a-tool-to-biosynthesize-metallic-nanoparticles-research-reports-and-patents-survey

Podcast: Probiotic Properties of Lactobacillus fermentum Strains

Author(s): Virginia Fuochia, Giovanni Li Volti and Pio Maria Furneri

For article details, visit: http://benthamscience.com/journals/current-pharmaceutical-biotechnology/article/148796/

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4th Microbiome R&D and Business Collaboration Forum: Europe

Global Engage is pleased to announce the 4^th Microbiome R&D and Business Collaboration Forum: Europe which will be held on 3-4 April 2017.

For more details visit: http://www.global-engage.com/event/microbiota/

4th Microbiome R&D and Business Collaboration Forum: Europe

Global Engage is pleased to announce the 4^th Microbiome R&D and Business Collaboration Forum: Europe which will be held on 3-4 April 2017.

For more details visit: http://www.globalengage.co.uk/microbiota.html

Good bacterium’ prevents colic symptoms in newborns

Newborns who take drops containing a beneficial bacterium cry less than babies not given the supplement, researchers report January 13 inJAMA Pediatrics.

The cause of excessive crying — or colic – is not well understood, but scientists suspect that the microbial mix in infants’ intestines is involved.  Researchers at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy teamed with other scientists across Italy to randomly assign 589 newborns to get either a placebo or a probiotic supplement. The supplement contained live Lactobacillus reuteri, a microbe shown previously to improve intestinal function. Parents delivered the drops and kept detailed diaries of infant health for three months.

Newborns getting the microbe were less apt to develop colic symptoms. They cried for an average of 38 minutes per day; infants getting placebo cried for 71 minutes. The microbe-treated babies also spit up less often. These improvements meant fewer doctor visits and trips to emergency departments for the infants. Parents whose babies got the microbes lost only about half a day of work during the study, compared with nearly three days for parents of infants getting a placebo.

[Source: sciencenews.org]