Postbiotics: A health promoters in human

Abstract

Postbiotics represent a novel category within the realm of biotics, demonstrating the potential to impart health benefits. Diverging from probiotics, postbiotics operate independently of living cells, thereby circumventing the food safety requisites applicable to live microorganisms. Constituents of postbiotics encompass an array of elements, such as short-chain fatty acids, exopolysaccharides, vitamins, bacteriocins, enzymes, and peptides, embedded within a nonpurified inactivated cell preparation. Although the exploration of postbiotics is in its nascent stages, mounting evidence suggests their capacity to modulate human health. Recent investigations have unveiled additional bioactivities associated with postbiotics, spanning immunomodulatory, antiproliferative, and antioxidant attributes. Notably, certain postbiotics have exhibited the capability to enhance gut health by fortifying the integrity of the gut barrier, mitigating inflammation, and fostering antimicrobial activity against gut pathogens. Despite the accumulation of in vitro and in vivo studies bolstering the prospective role of postbiotics as promoters of health, the intricacies of their mechanisms of action and the underlying signaling pathways remain incompletely elucidated. This chapter furnishes a comprehensive survey of emerging probiotic-related concepts, outlines the scientific evidence substantiating their bioactivities, delves into potential mechanisms that underlie their health-promoting effects, and examines prevailing trends in their applications.