Prebiotics: Development and Application
Bob Rastall (Editor), R. A. Rastall, Glenn GibsonBooks.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
The prebiotic concept works on the basis that many potentially health-promoting microorganisms are already present in humans. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate activity in targeted microorganisms, to improve the health of the individual. Prebiotics can be incorporated into many foodstuffs such as beverages, health and sports drinks, infant formulae, cereals, bread, savoury products and so forth, and are receiving much commercial interest.Prebiotics: Development and Application is the first book to consolidate research in this emerging area of ‘functional food’ study. The book takes a broad view approach to prebiotics, from the conceptual stage, definition, production, evaluation of individual food products and their effect on microbial flora, and their potential relation to diseases.
The book starts with an introduction to the prebiotic concept and its development, proceeds to consider the synthesis and manufacture of prebiotics and testing for prebiotic effects, and will then consider different forms of prebiotics (e.g. fructans, galactans, lactulose etc). The book will then look at prebiotic intervention for improving human health (acute and chronic disorders) and animal health. The book closes by considering the sectors for prebiotic foods, development and commercialisation issues, and future developments.
Synopsis
Prebiotics: Development and Application is a one-volume account of the emerging area of prebiotics – non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in the colon. Prebiotics can be incorporated into many foodstuffs to improve the health of the individual and are receiving much commercial interest.
The book takes a broad view of prebiotics from the conceptual stage, definition, production, evaluation of individual food products and their effect on microbial flora, and their potential relation to diseases. Contents include:
- an introduction to the prebiotic concept and its development
- the synthesis and manufacture of prebiotics
- testing for prebiotic effects
- fructans, galactans, lactulose and other prebiotic forms
- prebiotic intervention for improving animal and human health
- sectors for prebiotic foods
- development and commercialisation issues
- future developments
Prebiotics: Development and Application is an essential guide to this emerging technology for researchers, students and practitioners of food science, biotechnology, nutrition, microbiology, dietary health and food processing.
Doody Review Services
Reviewer:Dale A. Schoeller, PhD(University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Description:Because the editors of this multiauthored book have required the authors use the same general chapter structure, they have assembled a surprisingly uniform book that progresses though the topic of prebiotics in an orderly and organized fashion.
Purpose:The purpose is to summarize the current knowledge on the use of prebiotics, nutrients that alter bacterial growth in the intestine, as well as review the basics of probiotics, foods that contain active bacteria. This is done with the aim of summarizing the potential impacts on human health.
Audience:The book is intended to introduce college students and scientists to the field of prebiotics. This is a generally new research area in nutrition and thus the review is of value, but limited in scope because of the limited database.
Features:The chapters are well coordinated and the authors experts in the field. The book is slightly biased in favor of prebiotic use in humans, in that the authors generally attribute any positive effects of prebiotics to their effect on gut bacteria rather then other possible mechanisms. The bias, however, is slight and is not a major issue. The book includes excellent tables, but few figures. It includes a reasonable number of references that are current, but also includes a number of statements that are not referenced. The index is not very detailed and thus a little less useful than most.
Assessment:This book does provide a good review of the field, but even in so doing, the field has not yet matured and evidence supporting the use of prebiotics is sparse or not yet fully developed.
Editorials
From The Critics
Reviewer: Dale A. Schoeller, PhD(University of Wisconsin-Madison)Description: Because the editors of this multiauthored book have required the authors use the same general chapter structure, they have assembled a surprisingly uniform book that progresses though the topic of prebiotics in an orderly and organized fashion.
Purpose: The purpose is to summarize the current knowledge on the use of prebiotics, nutrients that alter bacterial growth in the intestine, as well as review the basics of probiotics, foods that contain active bacteria. This is done with the aim of summarizing the potential impacts on human health.
Audience: The book is intended to introduce college students and scientists to the field of prebiotics. This is a generally new research area in nutrition and thus the review is of value, but limited in scope because of the limited database.
Features: The chapters are well coordinated and the authors experts in the field. The book is slightly biased in favor of prebiotic use in humans, in that the authors generally attribute any positive effects of prebiotics to their effect on gut bacteria rather then other possible mechanisms. The bias, however, is slight and is not a major issue. The book includes excellent tables, but few figures. It includes a reasonable number of references that are current, but also includes a number of statements that are not referenced. The index is not very detailed and thus a little less useful than most.
Assessment: This book does provide a good review of the field, but even in so doing, the field has not yet matured and evidence supporting the use of prebiotics is sparse or not yet fully developed.
From the Publisher
"…a valuable addition to the literature and recommended for libraries supporting food and pharmaceutical microbiology." (Journal of the Agricultural & Food Information, January 2008)"…they have assembled a surprisingly uniform book that progresses through the topic of prebiotics in an orderly and organized fashion." (Doody's Health Services)