IFT Education Division Competition Winner

1

+ 1 = 3. . . Synbiotics: Combining the

Power of Pre- and Probiotics

Mary Scourboutakos

ABSTRACT: One of the core competencies in
the IFT Education standards for students is to
achieve competency in communications skills
(that is, oral and written communication,
listening, interviewing, and so on). According to
the IFT guidelines, by the time students
graduate, they should not only be able to search
for and condense information but also be able to
“communicate technical information to a
nontechnical audience.” The Education Division
of IFT sponsors an annual writing competition for
undergraduate students to bring attention to and
promote the development of communication
skills. The short essays can be on any technical
subject or latest development in the food science
and technology field that may be important to the
consumer. The article must be written in a
nontechnical language such that someone
reading a local newspaper could also
understand it. Due date for submissions is
typically the 1st week in June every year. More
information on eligibility, rules, submission, and
judging criteria will be posted on IFT’s Education
Division website. Monetary prizes are awarded
to the authors of the top 3 articles, and the
winning entry is published in the

Journal of

Food Science Education (JFSE) each year.
JFSE is pleased to publish this year’s winning
entry submitted by Mary Scourboutakos from the
Univ. of Toronto.

F

unctional foods (foods that promote well-being beyond their nutritional
attributes) have revolutionized and augmented the role of food in health.
The recent development of synbiotics is a testament to this. Synbiotics

show how 1 plus 1 does not always equal 2. Instead, the potentially synergistic
health benefits associated with the combination of pre- and probiotics
demonstrate food’s potential when it comes to health.

Probiotics are the fastest growing component of the functional food industry.

They have been aiding human health since biblical times, through their role in
increasing the number of beneficial bacteria in the gut. These living
microorganisms are primarily derived from lactic acid bacteria, comprising
multiple strains from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Some foods
combine several different probiotics based on the unique attributes associated
with each strain. Probiotics are most often found in yogurt, fermented milk,
cheese, ice cream and other dairy desserts, infant formulas, and fermented
soymilks. More recently, scientists have devised ways to incorporate probiotics
into fermented cereal products, juices, fermented sausages, hams, and
confectionaries like chocolate (Lee and Salminen 2009).

Prebiotics are a more recent discovery, utilized to promote the survival of

probiotics. Prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates that are not absorbed in
the intestine. They travel to the colon where they promote the growth of specific
advantageous microbiota (probiotics) by supplying food/energy, while
simultaneously influencing the microbiota’s gene expression (Lee and Salminen
2009). Additionally, fermentation of the prebiotics by the probiotics results in
the production of beneficial byproducts. Prebiotics can be found in natural
sources such as whole grains, onions, bananas, garlic, honey, leeks, and
artichokes, to name a few. In addition, many foods are fortified with prebiotics
(such as inulin or fructooligosaccharide) that are either directly extracted from
plants or synthesized through chemical methods (Lee and Salminen 2009). This
has led to the incorporation of prebiotics in foods like soft drinks and croissants.

Considering the symbiotic relationship between prebiotics and probiotics,

their use in synbiotics is very logical. However, developing successful synbiotic
products that possess a synergistic health benefit is not as simple as 1 plus 1.
Research shows that all synbiotics do not necessarily demonstrate synergistic
benefits (Rastall and Maitin 2002). First, a compatible prebiotic and probiotic
combination must be devised, as inadequate combinations will result in health
outcomes that are on par with the results expected from pre- or probiotics alone.

While prebiotics are relatively easy to add to foods, there are many barriers to

incorporating probiotics into foods. The 1st obstacle associated with probioitcs
is keeping them alive. A probiotic’s viability is the most important measure of its
quality, because its potential to exert a beneficial effect is dependent upon its
survival. International standards require that a probiotic product contain a
minimum of 10

6

to 10

7

colony forming units per gram, at the time of

consumption. This can be a challenge even with the help of prebiotics, due to
the progressive decline in the number of probiotics with time.

MS 20090943 Accepted 10/2/2009. Author is with Dept. of Nutritional Sciences, Univ.

of Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E2. Direct inquiries to author Scourboutakos (E-mail:

[e-mail]

).

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Journal of Food Science Education—

Vol. 9, 2010

c

2010 Institute of Food Technologists®

Synbiotics . . .

In addition, the compatibility of the probiotic with the food’s

physical characteristics and processing techniques, as well as
the storage environment must be considered, as factors such as
too much oxygen, a low pH, or unsuitably warm temperatures
can influence survival. Innovative packaging techniques have
been devised utilizing drinking straws containing freeze-dried
probiotics that are released as the beverage is consumed as well
as a drink cap that releases probiotics when the drink is opened
(Lee and Salminen 2009). This demonstrates how scientists are
overcoming some of the obstacles associated with probiotic
survival. Currently, the most successful synbiotic products have
been diary foods such as yogurts. Fruit/vegetable juices and
cheese are future synbiotic candidates.

At this point you may be wondering, what are these

synergistic health benefits? Studies demonstrate that synbiotics
have potential to reduce inflammatory bowel disease (Hedin
and others 2007), liver-related brain dysfunction, and colorectal
cancer (Hylla and others 1998; Pool-Zobel 2005). Furthermore,
synbiotics prevent infections (Kotzampassi and others 2006) and
allergies (Kukkonen and others 2007) while improving mineral
(Ca and Mg) absorption and bone mineralization
(Scholz-Ahrens and others 2007). In addition to the potentially
synergistic health benefits, synbiotics also exhibit health
benefits associated with consuming probiotics alone (such as
reduced irritable bowl syndrome and eczema as well as the
production of vitamins, including folate, cobalamin, vitamin K,
riboflavin, and thiamin) (Lee and Salminen 2009) and prebiotics
alone (including protection against risk factors for diabetes,
resulting from favorable effects on glucose levels and improved
insulin sensitivity (Brighenti and others 2006) as well as
modified risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as reduced
cholesterol (Roberfroid 2005) and lastly, beneficial laxative
effects) (Fernandez-Banares 2006).

Studies show that the desirable intestinal bacterial

modifications (responsible for these health benefits) persist for
mere days after consumption of probiotics (Lee and Salminen
2009). Thus, scientists will continue to find innovative ways to
incorporate pre- and probiotics into as many foods as possible
to ensure that individuals are consuming these healthful
ingredients on a regular basis. Overall, many challenges remain
when it comes to the formulation of synbiotics that are capable
of exhibiting truly synergistic health benefits; nevertheless, with
continued research the future of functional foods looks
promising.

References

Brighenti F, Benini L, Del Rio D, Casiraghi C, Pellegrini N, Scazzina F, Jenkins

DJA, Vantini I. 2006. Colonic fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates

contributes to the second-meal effect. Am J Clin Nutr 83:817–22.

Fernandez-Banares F. 2006. Nutritional care of the patient with constipation.

Clin Gastroenterol 20:575–87.

Hedin C, Whelan K, Lindsay JO. 2007. Evidence for the use of probiotics and

prebiotics in inflammatory bowel disease: a review of clinical trials. Proc

Nutr Soc 66:307–15.

Hylla S, Gostner A, Dusel G, Anger H, Bartram HP, Christl SU, Kasper H,

Scheppach W. 1998. Effects of resistant starch on the colon in healthy

volunteers: possible implications for cancer prevention. Am J Clin Nutr

67:136–42.

Kotzampassi K, Giamarellos-Bourboulis EJ, Voudouris A, Kazamias P,

Elftheriadis E. 2006. Benefits of a symbiotic formula (symbiotic 2000Forte) in

critically Ill trauma patients: early results of a randomized controlled trial.

World J Surg 30:1848–55.

Kukkonen K, Savilahti E, Haahtela T, Juntunen-Backman K, Korpela R, Poussa

T, Tuure T, Kuitunen M. 2007. Probiotics and prebiotic

galacto-oligosaccharides in prevention of allergic diseases: a randomized,

double blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 119:192–

8.

Lee YK, Salminen S. 2009. Handbook of probiotics and prebiotics. 2nd ed.

Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Pool-Zobel BL. 2005. Inulin-type fructans and reduction in colon cancer risk: a

review of experimental and human data. Br J Nutr 93(1):S73–90.

Rastall RA, Maitin V. 2002. Prebiotics and synbiotics: towards the next

generation. Curr Opin Biotechnol 13:490–6.

Roberfroid MB. 2005. Introducing inulin-type fructans. Br J Nutr 93(1):S13–

25.

Scholz-Ahrens KE, Ade P, Marten B, Weber P, Timm W, Acil Y, Fluer C-C,

Schrezenmeir J. 2007. Prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics affect mineral

absorption, bone mineral content, and bone structure. J Nutr 137:838S–

846S.

Mary Scourboutakos is a 3rd-year

undergraduate student at the Univ. of

Toronto. She is majoring in nutritional

science and music. She is currently

leading an environmental initiative

promoting double-sided printing. In

addition, she is the editor of a campus

music magazine. She is also a piano

teacher and hospital volunteer. In her

spare time, she enjoys tennis, biking,

running, and playing piano. She

hopes to pursue graduate studies in

nutritional science and work toward

alleviating the current nutritional

health crisis.

Available on-line through ift.org

Vol. 9, 2010

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Journal of Food Science Education

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