From Probiotics to Next-Generation Probiotics

Shruti Ahlawat*

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, SGT University, Budhera, Gurugram-122505, Haryana, India.

*Corresponding author email: shrutiahlawat5@gmail.com; shrutiahlawat_fahs@sgtuniversity.org

Abstract

The development of high-throughput sequencing, bioinformatics, and techniques, such as gut microbial culture (i.e., culturomics) and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have enhanced our knowledge regarding the relationship between gut microbiota (GM) and human diseases, and new microbes have been isolated, cultured, identified, and researched. Many strains with beneficial health effects are gradually emerging. These, beneficial microbes are known as next-generation probiotics (NGPs), which can be used as the active biological agents against various chronic ailments. NGPs are considered as biotherapeutic products and food or nutraceutical supplements. This chapter is aimed to summarize NGPs, especially with regard to conventional probiotics. Furthermore, as NGPs offer numerous advantages over conventional probiotics; thus, they provide opportunities towards personalized medicine. However, most of NGPs candidates are sensitive towards oxygen and are nutritionally demanding, thereby presenting technological challenges with respect to their large-scale production, thereby intriguing the evolution of suitable delivery systems that can foster the viability and functionality of such strains.

KEYWORDS: Probiotics, Next-generation probiotics, Gut microbiota