LOOKS LIKE WHOLE FOODS AND TRADER JOES HAVE JUST ADDED A NEW AISLE…BACTERIA SECRETIONS! A NEW TREND? WE HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS.

By: Alonso Trevino IV

The world of microorganisms has presented the world with many reasons to hate the tiny bacteria and it seems increasingly difficult to avoid them. Still, while we remain skeptical and quite a bit scared about the consequences of our interaction with these organisms of the environment, a new study suggests a completely new twist of fate. While the juicing and healthy meal prep’s frenzy around the world continues to flourish into a full on trend, it seems that our dietetic science friends have begun to find new ways in which to consume the tiny bacteria which we were once afraid of. In a new study that is calling these edible treats, functional foods, “Postbiotics refers to soluble factors (products or metabolic byproducts), secreted by live bacteria, or released after bacterial lysis, such as enzymes, peptides, teichoic acids, peptidoglycan-derived muropeptides, polysaccharides, cell surface proteins, and organic acids” while this concept presents a very controversial reality, it represents a very viable reality nonetheless. This is mainly reassured by the fact that not only do these bacteria excretions create foods with longer shelf lives but they, “may have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-obesogenic, antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, anti-proliferative, and antioxidant activities.” (Toala 2018) The presence of these probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics in popular foods like yogurt have baffled many but more importantly allowed scientists and doctors alike find new ways to incorporate microorganism into functioning human medicines. Will this new use of bacteria allocation be the hipster trend of the 2010’s or will it prove to be a crucial source of health beneficial functioning foods of the future?

Figure 1. In the image above, an abstract view of the essential health benefits of these bacterial friendly foods is depicted.

Original Article:

Aguilar-Toalá, J. E., Garcia-Varela, R., Garcia, H. S., Mata-Haro, V., González-Córdova, A. F., Vallejo-Cordoba, B., & Hernández-Mendoza, A. (2018). Postbiotics: An evolving term within the functional foods field. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 75, 105-114.