Contents



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

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

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

gastrointestinal tract.

their effects.
