ABSTRACT
The concept of probiotics (which means, “for life”) was introduced in the early twentieth century by Elie Metchnikoff (1907), but it remained mostly unknown to date and received considerable attention in the recent past with the advent of functional and health food market globally. Technically speaking, probiotics are “good bacteria” that are similar to the ones found in our gut. They facilitate our gut by increasing the number of good bacteria and, in turn, inhibit the bad ones. On the other hand, prebiotics act as the food for probiotic bacteria where they stimulate their growth and activity. When pre-and probiotics are mixed together, they form symbiotics.
