Paraprobiotics: an alternative to probiotics in health, food and feed applications

Probiotics are live microbes that confer health benefits when administered in adequate quantities. Though probiotics are the gold standard for gut health, they have their limitations in food manufacturing and for immunocompromised individuals. Such limitations have been overcome through inactivated probiotics, which are recognised as paraprobiotics. The inactivation of probiotics can be achieved using several techniques and has been shown to confer various health benefits similar to those of live probiotics. Inactivated probiotic cell wall components are generally considered paraprobiotics. How these inactivated probiotics and their components are used in health, food and feed applications is discussed.