Postbiotics: From emerging concept to application

Abstract

The microbiome innovation has resulted in an umbrella term, postbiotics, which refers to non-viable microbial cells, metabolic byproducts and their microbial components released after lysis. Postbiotics, modulate immune response, gene expression, inhibit pathogen binding, maintain intestinal barriers, help in controlling carcinogenesis and pathogen infections. Postbiotics have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties with favorable physiological, immunological, neuro-hormonal, regulatory and metabolic reactions. Consumption of postbiotics relieves symptoms of various diseases and viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2. Postbiotics can act as alternatives for pre-probiotic specially in immunosuppressed patients, children and premature neonates. Postbiotics are used to preserve and enhance nutritional properties of food, elimination of biofilms and skin conditioning in cosmetics. Postbiotics have numerous advantages over live bacteria with no risk of bacterial translocation from the gut to blood, acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes. The process of extraction, standardization, transport, and storage of postbiotic is more natural. Bioengineering techniques such as fermentation technology, high pressure etc., may be used for the synthesis of different postbiotics. Safety assessment and quality assurance of postbiotic is important as they may induce stomach discomfort, sepsis and/or toxic shock. Postbiotics are still in their infancy compared to pre- and pro- biotics but future research in this field may contribute to improved physiological functions and host health. The current review comprehensively summarizes new frontiers of research in postbiotics.

Extracellular Vesicles of Probiotics: Shedding Light on the Biological Activity and Future Applications

“…Difficulties in maintaining the viability of probiotics in commercial products and the fact that the viability of these microorganisms is not always necessary to obtain therapeutic effects have led to the concept of postbiotics [ 5 , 7 , 10 , 11 ]. Postbiotics are a mixture of metabolic products or non-viable fragments of probiotics that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the human body [ 8 , 12 ]. Despite the fact that research on postbiotics is still in its infancy, a number of health-promoting properties of these new products have already been demonstrated (maintenance of the proper structure of the resident microbiota, strengthening the host epithelial barrier, modulation of the local and systemic immune response, or increase of the host metabolic activity) [ 12 ].…”

“…Postbiotics are a mixture of metabolic products or non-viable fragments of probiotics that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the human body [ 8 , 12 ]. Despite the fact that research on postbiotics is still in its infancy, a number of health-promoting properties of these new products have already been demonstrated (maintenance of the proper structure of the resident microbiota, strengthening the host epithelial barrier, modulation of the local and systemic immune response, or increase of the host metabolic activity) [ 12 ]. As non-viable elements of probiotics, postbiotics present their strictly defined technological properties and thus represent a promising tool for obtaining therapeutic effects [ 10 , 11 , 13 ].…”

“…As non-viable elements of probiotics, postbiotics present their strictly defined technological properties and thus represent a promising tool for obtaining therapeutic effects [ 10 , 11 , 13 ]. These parameters include a favorable level of absorption and distribution of postbiotics [ 13 ] and the lack of risk to spread resistance mechanisms, as documented between probiotics and microbiota or pathogens [ 12 ]. In 2021, the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics established a new definition of postbiotic as a “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host” [ 14 ].…”

“…The use of the word ‘components’ was made because the whole microbial cells are not always required to present health-promoting activity and such an impact may be related to the presence of cellular structures produced by probiotics. The above modification of the meaning of the term ‘postbiotic’ has opened a new avenue for many new categories of these preparations, including probiotic extracellular vesicles [ 12 ].…”

Postbiotics: Functional Food Materials and Therapeutic Agents for Cancer, Diabetes, and Inflammatory Diseases

“…Comprising bacterial lysates with cell surface proteins, bacterial enzymes, peptides, metabolites, and lower organic acids like lactic acid, postbiotics derive their efficacy from microbial metabolites, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, organic acids, cell wall components, and other complex compounds produced in the fermented matrix [ 20 , 23 ]. Food processing techniques, including heat, sonication, irradiation, and high pressure, can impact postbiotic composition, with potential effects on the microorganisms involved in fermentation [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Various analytical techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and HPLC are suggested for postbiotic identification [ 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”