The poor reactivity of insoluble phosphates, such as apatite-group minerals, has been a long-appreciated obstacle for proposed models of prebiotic organophosphate formation. This obstacle presents a significant challenge to the nascent development of an RNA world and other models for the origins of life on Earth. Herein, we demonstrate that a scenario based on the formation of a urea/ammonium f...

Conceiving the process of biogenesis as the evolutionary development of highly dynamic and integrated protocell populations provides the most appropriate framework to address the difficult problem of how prebiotic chemistry bridged the gap to full-fledged living organisms on the early Earth. In this contribution we briefly discuss the implications of taking dynamic, functionally integrated prot...

OBJECTIVE To systematically review randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of prebiotic supplementation in full-term neonates. DATA SOURCES Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases and proceedings of relevant conferences. STUDY SELECTION Eleven of 24 identified trials (n = 1459) were eligible for inclusion. Intervention Tr...

AIM The aim was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementations of prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 360 1-day-old Vencobb broiler chickens of either sex were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments each consisting of three replicates and each replicate having 30 birds for 6 w...

Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between dietary intake of whole grains and the risk of chronic disease. This may be related to the ability to mediate a prebiotic modulation of gut microbiota. However, no studies have been conducted on the microbiota modulatory capability of whole-grain (WG) cereals. In the present study, the impact of WG wheat on the human intestinal m...

Probiotic microbes rely on their ability to survive in the gastrointestinal tract, adhere to mucosal surfaces, and metabolize available energy sources from dietary compounds, including prebiotics. Genome sequencing projects have proposed models for understanding prebiotic catabolism, but mechanisms remain to be elucidated for many prebiotic substrates. Although β-galactooligosaccharides (GOS) a...

BACKGROUND Almonds contain considerable amounts of potential prebiotic components, and the roasting process may alter these components. The aim of this study was to compare the in vitro fermentation properties and in vivo prebiotic effect of raw and roasted almonds. RESULTS In vitro, predigested raw and roasted almonds promoted the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-14) and Bifidobacteri...