What Is A Prebiotic?

Conceptually the term probiotic was started in 1995 by Gibson and Roberfroid in their scientific publication “Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota: Introducing the concept of prebiotics”. The current definition of a prebiotic was developed by a panel of experts convened by the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) in 2016. They defined a Prebiotic as: “a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit”.

 

The Global Prebiotic Association (GPA) defines a prebiotic as “A nutritional product and/or ingredient selectively utilized in the microbiome producing health benefits. In it simplest explanation, a prebiotic is a food source for probiotics (good bacteria) in the gut.

 

Prebiotic are high in special types of fiber that support digestive health. They promote the increase of friendly bacteria in the gut, help with various digestive problems and even have the potential to boost your immune system. Today, there is a growing demand for prebiotics due to consumers, practitioners, and researchers recognizing and creating a significant amount of emerging science and identifying prebiotics opportunity to benefit human and animal health. Prebiotic products are showing up in foods, beverages, medical foods, and dietary supplements around the globe.

 

Prebiotics have been studied for plethora of health benifits: for example, influences on cardiometabolic health, mineral availability, mineral absorption, immune function, and for gut health. One of the most commonly studied prebiotics is the soluble fiber inulin or fructooligosaccharides (FOS). A simple web search will provide a large quantity of human clinical studies showing the health benefits and prebiotic nature of Inulin.

 

Few sources of organic inulin exist globally, and even fewer sources that are farmed and manufactured in the United States. Intrinsic Organics located in Idaho of the USA farms over 500 acers of organic Jerusalem Artichoke the plant source that it uses to manufacture 100% USDA Certified Organic Inulin. This inulin is manufactured in a custom-built LEED Certified and Organic Certified facility providing for one of the world cleanest sources of inulin available anywhere in the world.

 

While all Intrinsic Organics inulin products are prebiotics, we provide to the world Organic Prebiotic from Jerusalem Artichoke with an extremely low Aw for specific use in Prebiotic-Probiotic symbiotic applications. Contact us and let’s chat about the prebiotic qualities and human clinical studies on Organic Jerusalem Artichoke Fiber (Inulin) a leading prebiotic fiber.