Table 4.
Prebiotic effect of algal biomass, their extracts and oligo- and polysaccharides.
| Oligo-/PS | Algal Genus | Effects | In Vitro/in Vivo (Animal Model) | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alginate | - | ↑ Bifidobacterium | rats | [61] |
| ↑ Lactobacillus | ||||
| NAOS (native and hydrolysates, DP 4–12) | - | ↑ Bifidobacterium | mice/rats (in vitro) | [158] |
| ↑ Lactobacillus | ||||
| ↓ Bacteroides and enterococci | ||||
| ↓ pH in medium | ||||
| ↓ putrefactive microorganisms | ||||
| laminaran | - | ↑ Bifidobacterium | rats (in vitro) | [165] |
| ↓ putrefactive compounds | ||||
| laminaran + fucoidan | - | ↑ lactobacilli | weanling pigs | [172] |
| ↓ diarrhoea | ||||
| extracts | Undaria/Porphyra | ↓ enzymes responsible for the transformation of pro- into carcinogens | rats | [173] |
| biomass | Ascophyllum | ↑ Lactobacillus/Escherichia coli | weanling pigs | [174] |
| biomass/extracts | Laminaria | ↑ SCFAs | weanling pigs | [175] |
| ↓ ammonia in the colon | ||||
| fucoidan | - | ↑ lactobacteria | pigs | [166,171,176] |
| ↑ fatty acids | ||||
| alginate | - | ↑ beneficial bacteria of microbiota | humans | [60] |
| ALGOS and native or LMW-PSs | Gelidium | ● positive effects on the microbiota and on the production of SCFAs ↓ putrefactive compounds |
rats | [61,165,167,168] |
| ↓ putrefactive microorganisms | ||||
| FUCOS | - | ↑ beneficial bacteria | - | [158,168] |
| AGAROS | - | ↓ pro-inflammatory cytokines | - | [177,178] |
| ● act against glycosidase | ||||
| extracts | Gelidium | ↑ bifidobacteria; best with Gelidium-extract | in vitro | [179] |
| Gracilaria | ||||
| Ascophyllum | ||||
| ↑ total SCFAs, and acetic and propionic acids; best with Gelidium-extract | ||||
| biomass | Chondrus | ↑ beneficial bacteria | rats | [127] |
| ● improvement of microbiota | ||||
| ↑ SCFAs | ||||
| ● improvement in the histo-morphology of the colon | ||||
| ↑ holding-water capacity of stool | ||||
| ● enhancement of immune system: ↑ Ig-A and G | ||||
| biomass | Spirulina | ↑ L. casei, L. acidophilus, S. thermophillus and other beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium | in vitro | [87,180,181] |
| ↓ harmful bacteria: P. vulgaris, B. subtilis, B. pumulis | ||||
| biomass | Isochrysis | ↑ lactic acid bacteria | rats | [182] |
↑ increase; ↓ decrease.