Preface

Currently, probiotics and prebiotics are recognized for their great potential in health. Probiotics are microorganisms of the intestinal microbiota that confer a benefit to the organism and that can be industrially added to food to obtain functional properties. Probiotics are numerous and they can be produced in large amounts and even their by-products have gained recent importance. On the other hand, prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that have been studied in in vivo models and in clinical studies for their potential to stimulate beneficial bacteria of the intestinal microbiota. New types of prebiotics and various sources have been discovered. Their diverse structures allow them to have similar functions, but many of their properties are yet to be elucidated, even the effect beyond the gastrointestinal tract.

The objective of this book is that readers from different fields such as food science, medicine, and zootechnics, among others, are presented with the scientifically studied benefits of probiotics and prebiotics and understand the mechanisms of their effects.

Each chapter of this book discusses the application, mechanism, and interaction of beneficial bacteria, their components and/or prebiotics in food or in the intestine and even their effect on other organs such as the brain. The book is divided into four sections. The first section describes the effects on human nutrition and is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1, "Probiotics and Prebiotics in Infant Formulae", presents an extensive review on the supplementation of infant formulae with oligosaccharides and the possible beneficial effects. Chapter 2, "Comparison of Antioxidant Activity of Cow and Goat Milk During Fermentation with Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5", evaluates the proteolytic activity and concentration of peptides and antioxidants in two types of milk inoculated with a probiotic bacterium with significant differences found in these variables. Chapter 3, "Prebiotics and Probiotics - Potential Benefits in Human Nutrition and Health", describes the development of non-dairy origin formulations such as fruit juices, with the advantages of adding microencapsulated probiotics. Additionally, in Chapter 4, "Functional Attributes and Health Benefits of Novel Prebiotic Oligosaccharides Derived from Xylan, Arabinan, and Mannan", describes a background of prebiotics in general, the different types, their structures, and their function focusing on new prebiotics such as galactooligosaccarides, xylooligosaccarides, mannooligosaccharides, among others. Interestingly, the participation of enzymes in the processes of absorption and utilization of carbohydrates and transmembrane transport systems present in bacteria is mentioned. The second section with five chapters discusses the implication of probiotics and prebiotics in health and their role in infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Chapter 5, "Cholesterol Uptake and Survival of Lactococcus lactis Strains in Fluids Simulating the Human Stomach and Duodenum", explains the determining factors of Lactococcus to bind and capture cholesterol, and the bacteria's survival rate in gastric fluids, which can translate into a hypocholesterolemic effect, thus benefiting host health. The therapeutic potential of probiotics and prebiotics to cope with pathogenic microorganisms is analyzed in Chapter 6, "Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Bacterial Infections." Here, the mechanisms of the host's immune

response against the virulence mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria and subsequently the restoration of the microbiota balance are described. Chapter 7, "Probiotics in Health and Immunity: A First Step towards Understanding the Importance of Microbiota System in Translational Medicine", describes the role of microorganisms in chronic and autoimmune inflammatory diseases, as well as the immune system molecules involved, proinflammatory cytokines, and gastric mucosa proteins. Finally, it describes the therapeutic role of probiotics in these pathologies. Chapter 8, "Bacterial Cell-Free Probiotics Using Effective Substances Produced by Probiotic Bacteria, for Application in the Oral Cavity", describes the therapeutic potential of probiotics in human health. The authors introduce the term "biogenics" as the bioactive substances produced from probiotics recommended for application in the oral cavity.

In Chapter 9, "Role of the Microbiome as the First Metal Detoxification Mechanism", the role of prebiotics on the increase in arsenic excretion in clinical studies is presented, which contributes to the health of people exposed to the metal. Section three is a compendium of two chapters that talk about a novel topic: the implication of probiotics and prebiotics in the brain intestine axis. Chapter 10, "Could Gut Modulation through Probiotic Supplementation Be Beneficial in Autism Spectrum Disorder?", reviews the relationship between dysbiosis and autism spectrum disorder, as well as the molecules involved including bacterial metabolites. Importantly, it mentions the role of probiotics in restoring the balance of the intestinal bacterial ecosystem. Chapter 11, "Prebiotics and the Modulation on the Microbiota – GALT – Brain Axis", is a contribution of our work team, in which we show the possible mechanisms of regulation of the microbiota by prebiotics and its involvement in the mucosal immune system and brain. Finally, the fourth section covers the use of probiotics and prebiotics in farm animals. Chapter 12, "The Use of Probiotics in Poultry Production for the Control of Bacterial Infections and Aflatoxins", describes the uses of probiotics as an additive in the diets of production animals to control bacterial infections and the production of aflatoxins that alter the health of the animals. Also, Chapter 13, "Use of Prebiotics as an Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoters in the Poultry Industry", describes prebiotics as additives in the feeding of farm animals, in this case as a viable option to replace the use of antibiotics as growth promoters.

My sincere appreciation and thanks to each of the authors who contributed to this book for their dedication and effort, and to the IntechOpen editorial team for allowing us to carry out this work.

> **Elena Franco-Robles, Ph.D.** Division of Life Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Mexico

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Section 1

Human Nutrition

**Joel Ramírez-Emiliano** Department of Medical Sciences, University of Guanajuato, León, Gto., México
