益生元

Prebiotics are defined as non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon. They are resistant to digestion in the small bowel, through being resistant to gastric acid and hydrolytic enzymes, so pass unhydrolyzed to the colon where members of resident microbiota, such as bifidobacteria (雙歧桿菌) and lactobacilli (乳桿菌), can ferment them.

Currently numerous compounds have been shown to have potential prebiotic activity and these include: lactulose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS)...

Prebiotics are found in a range of natural sources; GOS can be obtained from human breast milk and soybean, FOS and fructans from chicory root (菊苣根), banana, Jerusalem artichoke (洋薑), asparagus, onions and garlic.

Rastall, R. A. (2009). Prebiotics and Probiotics Science and Technology. Springer.

Hydrolytic enzymes are the enzymes that utilize water to break the bonds. They break a larger molecule into smaller molecules.

Bifidobacteria species are probiotics that live in the intestines. They may help with diarrhea, constipation, and other intestinal disorders. Bifidobacteria can help break down food, absorb nutrients, and fight off harmful organisms that might cause diseases.

Lactobacillus species are probiotics normally found in human digestive and urinary tracts . They can be consumed for diarrhea and gut health. Lactobacillus can help the body break down food, absorb nutrients, and fight off harmful organisms.

Lactulose is a synthetic sugar and it is broken down in the colon into products that pull water out from the body and into the colon.

Oligosaccharides are a type of carbohydrate chain made up of three to 10 simple sugars.

A fructan is a molecule consisting of a chain of fructose molecules joined together, and with a glucose molecule at the end.