Probiotics have several health benefits by modulating gut microbiome; however, techno-functional limitations such as viability controls have hampered their full potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Therefore, the focus is gradually shifting from viable probiotic bacteria towards non-viable paraprobiotics and/or probiotics derived biomolecules, so-called postbiotics. Paraprobiotics and postbiotics are the emerging concepts in the functional foods field because they impart an array of health-promoting properties. Although, these terms are not well defined, however, for time being these terms have been defined as here. The postbiotics are the complex mixture of metabolic products secreted by probiotics in cell-free supernatants such as enzymes, secreted proteins, short chain fatty acids, vitamins, secreted biosurfactants, amino acids, peptides, organic acids, etc. While, the paraprobiotics are the inactivated microbial cells of probiotics (intact or ruptured containing cell components such as peptidoglycans, teichoic acids, surface proteins, etc.) or crude cell extracts (i.e. with complex chemical composition)”. However, in many instances postbiotics have been used for whole category of postbiotics and parabiotics. These elicit several advantages over probiotics like; (i) availability in their pure form, (ii) ease in production and storage, (iii) availability of production process for industrial-scale-up, (iv) specific mechanism of action, (v) better accessibility of Microbes Associated Molecular Pattern (MAMP) during recognition and interaction with Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRR) and (vi) more likely to trigger only the targeted responses by specific ligand-receptor interactions. The current review comprehensively summarizes and discussed various methodologies implied to extract, purify, and identification of paraprobiotic and postbiotic compounds and their potential health benefits.

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Postbiotics-parabiotics: the new horizons in microbial biotherapy and functional foods

COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This new viral infection was first identified in China in December 2019, and it has subsequently spread globally. The lack of a vaccine or curative treatment for COVID-19 necessitates a focus on other strategies to prevent and treat the infection. Probiotics consist of single or mixed cultures of live microorganisms that can beneficially affect the host by maintaining the intestinal or lung microbiota that play a major role in human health. At present, good scientific evidence exists to support the ability of probiotics to boost human immunity, thereby preventing colonization by pathogens and reducing the incidence and severity of infections. Herein, we present clinical studies of the use of probiotic supplementation to prevent or treat respiratory tract infections. These data lead to promising benefits of probiotics in reducing the risk of COVID-19. Further studies should be conducted to assess the ability of probiotics to combat COVID-19.

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The potential application of probiotics and prebiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are known for their biotechnological potential. Moreover, LAB are distinguished by amazing criteria: Adjusting the intestinal environment, inhibiting pathogenic microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, ability to reduce pathogen adhesion activity, improving the balance of the microbiota inside the intestine, capabilities of regulating intestinal mucosal immunity, and maintaining intestinal barrier function. The escalating number of research and studies about beneficial microorganisms and their impact on promoting health has attracted a big interest in the last decades. Since antiquity, various based fermented products of different kinds have been utilized as potential probiotic products. Nevertheless, the current upsurge in consumers' interest in bioalternatives has opened new horizons for the probiotic field in terms of research and development. The present review aims at shedding light on the world of probiotics, a continuous story of astonishing success in various fields, in particular, the biomedical sector and pharmaceutical industry, as well as to display the importance of probiotics and their therapeutic potential in purpose to compete for sturdy pathogens and to struggle against diseases and acute infections. Shadows and future trends of probiotics use are also discussed.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/12/1907/pdf

Update of Probiotics in Human World: A Nonstop Source of Benefactions till the End of Time

Food wastage is a major issue impacting public health, the environment and the economy in the context of rising population and decreasing natural resources. Wastage occurs at all stages from harvesting to the consumer, calling for advanced techniques of food preservation. Wastage is mainly due to presence of moisture and microbial organisms present in food. Microbes can be killed or deactivated, and cross-contamination by microbes such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) should be avoided. Moisture removal may not be feasible in all cases. Preservation methods include thermal, electrical, chemical and radiation techniques. Here, we review the advanced food preservation techniques, with focus on fruits, vegetables, beverages and spices. We emphasize electrothermal, freezing and pulse electric field methods because they allow both pathogen reduction and improvement of nutritional and physicochemical properties. Ultrasound technology and ozone treatment are suitable to preserve heat sensitive foods. Finally, nanotechnology in food preservation is discussed.

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Food preservation techniques and nanotechnology for increased shelf life of fruits, vegetables, beverages and spices: a review.

Understanding mechanisms of the novel SARS-CoV2 infection and progression can provide potential novel targets for prevention and/or treatment. This could be achieved via the inhibition of viral entry and/or replication, or by suppression of the immunologic response that is provoked by the infection (known as the cytokine storm). Probiotics are defined as 'live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host'. There is scarcity of evidence about the relationship between COVID-19 and gut microbiota. So, whether or not these supplements can prevent or ameliorate COVID-19-associated symptoms is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to provide an indirect evidence about the utility of probiotics in combating COVID-19 or its associated symptoms, through the review of its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro, animal models and human trials. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The role of probiotics in alleviation of the novel COVID-19 has not been established. This review provides an insight about the anti-inflammatory, antiviral effects of probiotics in vitro, animal models and human. The latter can provide an indirect evidence and/or hypothesis-driven approach to investigate the use of probiotics as adjunctive therapy in the prophylaxis and/or alleviation of COVID-19 symptoms.

https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/lam.13334

Probiotics and COVID-19: is there any link?

According to the proposed definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics must be alive and abundant once ingested. However, during recent years, new definitions are added to the probiotic terminology such as ‘paraprobiotics’ (dead/inactive cells of probiotics) and ‘postbiotics’ (healthful metabolites of probiotics), because findings have shown that dead cells (intact or ruptured) could also show significant health impacts on human. However, mentioned terms are not accurate and impressive enough to reflect the intended meanings regarding all states of probiotic benefits and it seems that a disturbance and confusion in probiotic glossary has been occurred. As a result, a new terminology based on a new efficient approach and conceptualization is needed for a global agreement and usage. In the present paper, we are honored to propose such terminology to provide mentioned comprehensive approach and terminology for all aspects of probiotic benefits. We are proposing three main classes of probiotic including ‘true probiotic’ (TP) referring to viable and active probiotic cell, ‘pseudo-probiotic’ (PP) referring to viable and inactive cell, in the forms of vegetative or spore (PPV or PPS) and ‘ghost probiotic’ (GP) referring to dead/nonviable cell, in the forms of intact or ruptured (GPI or GPR). Each of these classes are classified into two groups based on their site of action/impact: internal (in vivo) or external (in vitro).

Probiotic: conceptualization from a new approach

Celiac disease (CD) is a systematic immune-mediated enteropathy induced in the most genetically predisposed people by exposure to prolamin proteins. The only effective strategy for inhibiting CD is a lifelong exclusion of gluten from patient’s diet; however, adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) could be difficult for them. Because of this challenge, there is a demand for novel therapies. The utilization of probiotics in CD patient’s diets has been proposed as a novel therapy for reducing CD symptoms. Probiotic strains can suppress the gliadin toxicity through some probable mechanisms such as enzymatic hydrolysis of toxic peptides derived from gliadin. The present review describes the recent scientific researches about mechanisms of suppressing gliadin by probiotics.

Fatemeh Zendeboodi

Papers

Probiotic: conceptualization from a new approach

Celiac therapy by administration of probiotics in food products: a review