As scientists learn more about prebiotics, dairy’s prospects increase. For the present time, look to plants if you want to add prebiotics. But for the future, prebiotics could come from the oligosaccharides in whey permeate.
Although 72% of Americans are aware of prebiotics’ association with digestive health, according to the International Food Information Council’s 2011 functional foods survey, most would be hard-pressed to describe prebiotics and their functions. That’s understandable. The story of prebiotics and health is not simple. But as scientists learn more, the story becomes more compelling and worth the telling.
Essentially, prebiotics are the preferred food source for probiotics, live organisms that confer health benefits when delivered in adequate amounts. Prebiotics are the nondigestible components in foods such as whole grains, onions and bananas. They can be isolated from plants (as inulin is isolated from chicory root), synthesized from sugars (as fructo-oligosaccharides are synthesized from sucrose) and added to foods.