BACKGROUND Galactooligosaccharides are selectively fermented by the beneficial member of the colonic microflora contributing to the health of the host. OBJECTIVE We assessed the prebiotic potential of a novel galactooligosaccharide produced through the action of beta-galactosidases, originating from a probiotic Bifidobacterium bifidum strain, against a galactooligosaccharide produced through ...

Aging can result in major changes in the composition and metabolic activities of bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal system and result in impaired function of the immune system. We assessed the efficacy of prebiotic Darmocare Pre(®) (Bonusan Besloten Vennootschap (BV), Numansdorp, The Netherlands) to evaluate whether the regular intake of this product can improve frailty criteria, fun...

Following his seminal work in 1953, Stanley Miller conducted an experiment in 1958 to study the polymerization of amino acids under simulated early Earth conditions. In the experiment, Miller sparked a gas mixture of CH4, NH3, and H2O, while intermittently adding the plausible prebiotic condensing reagent cyanamide. For unknown reasons, an analysis of the samples was not reported. We analyzed t...

BACKGROUND & AIMS The pathogenesis of enteritis after abdominal radiotherapy is unknown, although changes in faecal microbiota may be involved. In several studies, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have proven beneficial for the host. Prebiotics stimulate the proliferation of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and this may have positive effects on the intestinal mucosa during abdominal radiothe...

1953 was a banner year for biological chemistry: The double helix structure of DNA was published by Watson and Crick, Sanger's group announced the first amino acid sequence of a protein (insulin) and the synthesis of key biomolecules using simulated primordial Earth conditions has demonstrated by Miller. Miller's studies in particular transformed the study of the origin of life into a respectab...

In the context of prebiotic chemistry, one of the characteristics of mixed nitrogenous-oxygenous chemistry is its propensity to give rise to highly complex reaction mixtures. There is therefore an urgent need to develop improved spectroscopic techniques if onerous chromatographic separations are to be avoided. One potential avenue is the combination of pure shift methodology, in which NMR spect...

There is some evidence that early colonization of the intestine affects the composition of the intestinal microbiota after weaning. In the present study, the effect of prebiotics administered from the first day of life on fecal counts of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were studied during and after the administration of the prebiotics. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, explo...

Primordial cells presumably combined RNAs, which functioned as catalysts and carriers of genetic information, with an encapsulating membrane of aggregated amphiphilic molecules. Major questions regarding this hypothesis include how the four bases and the sugar in RNA were selected from a mixture of prebiotic compounds and co-localized with such membranes, and how the membranes were stabilized a...

Rheological properties are very important parameters in the production of products with high-quality and desirable texture. So far, many attempts to produce low-calorie milk chocolate have not succeeded. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the effects of sugar substitutes on rheological characteristics of prebiotic milk chocolate using Simplex-lattice mixture design. For doing this, a...