Fructans: Prebiotics and immunomodulators

Probiotics, Prebiotics, and COVID-19

In a diet, probiotics and prebiotics play an important role in regulating the immune response function through the intestinal microbiota, which in turn affects the immune system. While probiotics have been shown to reduce diseases, such as the flu, which is a respiratory infection. The National Health Commission of China and the National Bureau of Traditional Medicine of China recommend that pr...

Immunomodulatory and Natural Immunomodulators

The immune system is a remarkably developed defense system inside vertebrates which guards against attacking factors. It is capable of producing diverse molecules and cells able to distinguish and reduce unlimited changes from external and unwanted agents. Modulation of the immune system refers to some alteration in the immune response which includes stimulation, amplification, expression or in...

Natural Immunomodulators

Introducing inulin-type fructans.

Inulin is a generic term to cover all beta(2-->1) linear fructans. Chicory inulin is a linear beta(2-->1) fructan (degree of polymerisation (DP) 2 to 60; DPav=12), its partial enzymatic hydrolysis product is oligofructose (DP 2 to 8; DPav=4), and by applying specific separation technologies a long-chain inulin known as inulin HP (DP 10 to 60; DPav=25) can be produced. Finally, a specific produc...

Prebiotics and calcium bioavailability.

A prebiotic substance has been defined as a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon. Therefore, compared to probiotics, which introduce exogenous bacteria into the colonic microflora, a prebiotic aims at stimulating the growth of one or a limited number of the pote...