What is the past and present life of probiotic foods?
What interesting stories happened?
In this article, Professor Yi will answer all your doubts and take you to understand how probiotics have transformed from ancient dietary therapy into a modern science, and how they have enriched our scientific dietary concepts.
Since ancient times, probiotic foods have been associated with health. As a pioneer and popularizer of functional probiotic foods, Professor Yi has always paid attention to the food culture related to probiotics.
Probiotic means "good for life" in ancient Greek. In ancient times, there was no strict scientific definition of such "good for life" foods, and they were basically foods fermented by microorganisms.
In the late Neolithic period of 7000 BC, the Chinese had begun to make fermented drinks. Yellow rice wine and rice wine are the most typical fermented foods.
Two to three thousand years ago in Greece and Bulgaria, people had begun to eat fermented yogurt, and bread was also a typical fermented food.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Russian microbiologists and immunologists Scientist Metchnikoff, in his study of longevity people in Bulgaria, found that yogurt contains lactic acid bacteria.
The saying that yogurt is a "longevity drink" has spread.
In the 19th century, American factories used lactic acid bacteria to produce patented dairy products with better flavor. In 1919, Spanish businessman Isaac Calazo established a large-scale yogurt manufacturing factory, and the yogurt produced was sold in pharmacies.
Later, as Japan’s lactic acid bacteria drink Yakult was sold all over the world, probiotic foods were further industrialized
Today, there are thousands of species of bacteria that have been identified in the human intestines , some are "good bacteria" that are beneficial to the human body, and some are "bad bacteria" that can cause illness.
For more than a century, people’s understanding of probiotics has been intertwined with the advancement of life sciences.
Professor Yi has always remembered the predecessors who made revolutionary contributions in the history of probiotic development.
The most memorable person is Metchnikoff, who discovered lactic acid bacteria. He is the "father of lactic acid bacteria" and proposed the famous "intestinal probiotics" theory - lactic acid bacteria inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. growth to ensure human health.
In 1899, Henry Tissier discovered a type of bacteria with forked ends in infant feces, which was very effective in treating intestinal infections. It is the "Bifidobacterium" that we often see on yogurt bottles such as Wahaha.
Dr. Miyairi Kinji, who focuses on intestinal microbiome research, discovered Clostridium butyricum No. 588, which not only inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria, but also promotes the development of beneficial bacteria. Clostridium butyricum is now commonly used to treat diarrhea and constipation.
German bacteriologist Werner Kolas was the first to call various bacterial supplements prescribed to malnourished patients to help restore health "probiotics." Later, intestinal microbiologist Roy Fuller redefined probiotics as "living microorganisms that can produce beneficial effects on the host."
In the 1990s, American molecular biologist Robert Xin Simer kicked off the human genome sequencing project, and the intestinal microbial genes were also sequenced. The gene sequence and mechanism of action of probiotics were further unraveled.
Scientists have been able to use genetic science to study the ways in which intestinal probiotics improve the human immune system. A group of biotechnology companies with leading technologies focus on the research and exploration of "functional probiotics" and have established a modern probiotic production system.
In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) promulgated the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, and probiotics officially became a clearly usable dietary supplement.