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In this study, the effect of fructooligosaccharide as a prebiotic on the growth and density of lactobacillus in intestine of stellate (Acipenser stellatus) has been investigated. To do this, 90 individuals of stellate fingerlings (ten in each replications) were prepared with an average weight of 30.16 ± 0.14 gr from International Sturgeon Research Institute. This study was carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications in fiberglass tanks with 2000 liters volume. They were fed with feed containing 0, 1 and 2 percents of fructooligosaccharide (Raftilos P95, Sigma Company). Results indicated that feed with one percent fructooligosaccharide had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on weight gain, SGR, FCR, FE, PER and HI. The number of colonies regarding to lactobacillus showed a significant increase compared to the control (in one percent fructooligosaccharide). Results indicated that fructooligosaccharide as a prebiotic (in level of one percent in feed) caused good growth capabilities and feed efficiency through increasing the density of lactobacillus in intestine.

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An 84-day feeding trial was carried out onfingerling (4.44 ± 0.06 g) rainbow trout (Oncorhynchusmykiss, Walbaum, 1792) to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with a commercial prebiotic GroBiotic^®-A (G-A) on the growth, feed efficiency, haematology and immunlogical parameters. Ttreatments containing various inclusions of G-A (0 %, 0.5 %, 1.0 %, 1.5 %, 2.0 %, 2.5 %, and 3.0 %) were added to a commercial fish dietand were fed twice daily at 2-6 % of body weight. The highest weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and average daily gain (ADG) were obtained in fish fed the diet containing 2.5 % G-A followed by 3.0 % inclusion (P<0.05). The highest feed efficiency (FE), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein utilization (NPU) were also recorded in the 2.5 % G-A inclusion (P<0.05). Survival was significantly higher (P<0.05) in fish fed with 2 % and 2.5 % G-Asupplement (P<0.05). Although higher Hb, haematocrit, RBC, WBC, MCH, MCHC, MCV, lymphocytes, and neutrophils were observed at all  G-A supplemented diets, the differences among themwerenot significant (P>0.05). On the other hand,significantly higher differencee (P<0.05) in lysozyme and immunoglobulin (IgM) concentrations wereobserved in 2.5% G-A inclusion. The results of this study indicated that 2.5 % G-A inclusionhad a better performance on growth and haematoimmunological parameters in rainbow trout fingerling.

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Separate or combined effects of inulin and mannan oligosaccharide supplements on the growth, survival, body composition and salinity resistance of kutum roach (Rutilus frisii kutum) fry (410 ± 19 mg)  were investigated for 45 days in 40-liter tanks containing 30 individuals. Fish were fed 7 to 12% body weight with a commercial diet (35% protein and 12% lipid) supplemented with 0 (control), 5 g kg^-1 inulin, 5 g kg^-1 MOS and 2.5 g kg^-1 inulin + 2.5 g kg^-1 MOS in a totally randomized design trial in triplicate.  A general enhanced growth performance and feed efficiency were observed in fish fed on diet containing 5 g kg^-1 MOS (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in survival rate among treatments (p>0.05). NO significant difference was observed in body composition, but protein and lipid contents in the whole body increased in fish fed with 5 g kg^-1 MOS and control group. In general, the fish fed 5 g kg^-1 MOS had the highest survival index after 48 hours exposed to salinity stress (15 ppt). Results showed 5 g kg^-1 MOS could improve growth performance, survival and salinity stress resistance of kutum fry.

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Aims: The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of three commercial prebiotics A-Max, Celmanax and Ultra (each of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/kg diets) on growth, feed performance and blood biochemical compounds of beluga juvenile.
Materials & Methods: 900 fish with average weight of 21.5± 0.89 gr feeding was performed in 9 treatments (which on with three replicate) for 60 days. Control treatment was without supplementation. Fish were fed to satiation triple daily of 5% body weight. At the end of this period, the feed and growth performance were measured.
Findings: There was a significantly higher final body weight in ultra 0.5 (90.00± 21.78 g) compared with control (37.50± 9.60 g). The highest and lowest of food conversion were in treatments control and ultra (0.5), respectively. The results showed that the highest Fat and protein efficiency ratio was obtained in Ultra 0.5 (2.19± 0.77 and 7.37± 2.60) and lowest in control. Generally, the best treatments were in groups: Celmanax (dose of 0.5), A-Max (dose of 1.5) and Ultra (0.5). In addition, after determining the proper dose, blood samples were collected fish in the above-mentioned treatments. Based on the results of blood biochemistry parameters, there were no significant difference AST, ALP and ALT activity, so that the highest amount was obtained in the control. There were no significant differences in protein and cortisol experiment groups.
Conclusion: The results showed that the use of prebiotics in juvenile sturgeon diet has positive effects on feed performance and blood biochemical parameters.

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Introduction: Since the gastrointestinal system plays an important role in the function of the immune system, its role in the control or treatment of autoimmune diseases cannot be ignored. Therefore, the intestinal strengthening, which much of gastrointestinal function depends on it, can be effective in this direction. Also, because the intestine plays an important role in the immune system in addition to digestion, it can help maintain the immune system's function by keeping its bacteria balanced. In this regard, probiotics and prebiotics can be useful, which this issue was investigated in the present study.
Conclusion: Probiotics have an important role in the prevention and control of multiple sclerosis.
 

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Resistant starch type III as a dietary fiber is included in the prebiotic composition. It can be used to enrich low-calorie, gluten-free diets for celiac patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of improving the quantitative and qualitative properties of gluten free rice cake via replacement rice flour by resistant starch type III at levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%. Physicochemical, textural and sensory properties of the product were evaluated in a completely randomized design (P˂0.05). The results showed that replacing the rice flour by resistant starch in the gluten free rice cake formulation reduced the specific gravity of batter and increased the moisture content of the final product. Also, by replacing rice flour by resistant starch up to 20%, the height, specific volume and porosity of the final product increased and then decreased. On the other hand, the sample containing 20% resistant starch had the lowest firmness at 2h, 3 and 7 days after production. In addition, the results showed that 25 and 30% replacements of the resistant starch in gluten-free rice cake formulation by rice flour, the L* value of the crust and crumb increased and the a* and b* were reduced. Finally, the panelists by evaluating the sensory properties such as shape, color, texture firmness and softness, taste and overall acceptance the sample containing 80% rice flour and 20% resistant starch type III introduced as the best sample. Therefore, according to the results of the physicochemical and sensory evaluation, replacement of 20% rice flour by resistant starch type III in gluten free cake formulation can produce a lower calorie product suitable for celiac patient.

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The unique properties of camel milk, qualify this product to be used as a nutraceutical. In this study, functional synbiotic yogurt made from camel milk has been investigated in three levels of fat (0, 2.5 and 5% (w/v)). Probiotic bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacilus delbrueckii and ssp. bulgaricus.) and β-glucan (prebiotic agent) were added in three levels of concentration (0.5, 1 and 1.5 % (v/v)) and (0, 1 and 2% (w/v)), respectively. The physicochemical properties of the product and viability of probiotic bacteria were measured on the 0, 7th and 14th days. Beta-glucan, fat and storage time had significantly (P< 0.05) increasing effects on viscosity, Water-Holding Capacity (WHC) and the viability of probiotic bacteria. These parameters caused decrease in syneresis and pH of yogurt. It was concluded that the addition of oat β-glucan to camel milk to make functional synbiotic yogurt could result in a product of acceptable physicochemical properties.

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A major challenge currently facing the food industry is the need for increased nutritional value in foods. A feasible and nutritional method to achieve this aim in bakery products is the addition of prebiotics which makes possible the sale of more nutritional food with equal sensory features. The main aim of the present study was to assess the effects of oligofructose, inulin and oligofructose-enriched inulin on the features of prebiotic cake. In the control sample, the highest symmetry and volume was observed, along with the lowest apparent density and specific gravity. The crumb was observed to become less yellowish and more reddish when fructans were added, except during the addition of 2.5% oligofructose-enriched inulin. In the storage period of the product, the control sample had the highest hardness and least moisture. Samples with 2.5% inulin/oligofructose and 10% oligofructose/inulin demonstrated an increased level of protein, total fiber, and ash, respectively. The highest and the lowest scores in terms of sensory evaluation of the cakes (one day post-baking) were attained by the 2.5% oligofructose/inulin and 10% inulin, respectively.

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Growing public awareness about diet-related health issues has significantly led to a progressive demand for producing functional foods based on probiotics. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of producing synbiotic apple juice containing Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) as a probiotic bacteria and mango juice (0 and 10% v/v) and orange fiber (0 and 0.5% w/v) as prebiotic agents. In this regard, the viability of L. casei, pH, acidity, total soluble solids, viscosity, and sensory properties of the samples were assessed during 45 days of storage at the refrigerated condition. According to the obtained results, incorporating orange fiber and mango juice as prebiotic compounds could significantly improve the viability of L. casei and maintain its survival above the minimum recommended value (7 Log CFU/mL) during the storage time. Furthermore, the addition of orange fiber and mango juice had a significant effect (p<0.05) on elevating the acidity, soluble solids, and viscosity as well as decreasing the pH value of the synbiotic apple juice samples during the storage time. Although sensory scores of the treatments showed a decreasing trend over time, the addition of mango juice and orange fiber could remarkably improve the overall acceptability of the treated samples compared to the control sample. In general, the results of this study showed that synbiotic apple juice containing orange fiber and mango juice in combination provided the best viability of L. casei with acceptable physicochemical and sensory properties and could be introduced as a synbiotic apple juice.

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There is an increasing demand for nondairy probiotic food due to the constraints associated with dairy probiotics. In this study, symbiotic drink was prepared from a mixture of mung bean, and rye sprouts inoculated with 1.38 _* 10⁸ CFU.ml^-1 of Lactobacillus plantarum, and a Lactobacillus casei. In this regard, the effect of added prebiotics (inulin and oligofructose), and starter culture investigated on the probiotic viability during cold storage Furthermore, titrable acidity, pH, phenolic content, antioxidant activity and sensory attributes were assessed during 28 days. Resultant product showed good viability for L. casei (10⁷ CFU.ml^-1), and L. plantarum (10⁶ CFU.ml^-1) after 4 weeks under refrigerated conditions without any comprise in the quality. Prebiotics added to beverage resulted in the significant decrease in phenolic content (p < 0.05), probably because of the interaction between dietary fibers and phenolic compounds. Oligofructose and inulin improved the sensory scores. Treatments containing both probiotics and prebiotics showed the highest sensory scores during storage (p <0.05). This drink could be a nutritious alternative to the existing lactose-intolerant and protein allergic, dairy-based beverages.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inulin (IN) and resistant dextrin (RD) as fat replacer and prebiotic on gluten-free biscuit and its dough. To make the gluten-free biscuits, we used rice flour, corn flour and corn starch in the proportion of 3:1:1, respectively. The influence of prebiotics on the dough properties was studied via texture profile analysis including firmness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, gumminess and springiness. Biscuit quality was assessed by spreading behavior, texture and surface characteristics, chemical properties, and sensory evaluation. Compared to the control, a significant increase in firmness (17.04 N to 52.85 N), cohesiveness (0.49 to 0.65) and gumminess (8.45 N to 32.71 N) of dough (except RD25) was observed when substitution percent of fibers increased. Adhesiveness and springiness did not have significant changes. Enhancing of fat replacement percentage caused significant changes compared to the control in hardness (9.60 to 24.52 N) and L* (58.79 to 56.94), a* (8.99 to 9.71), water activity (0.225 to 0.096), moisture (4.97% to 4.12%), total fat (12.65% to 3.90%), peroxide index (1.89 to 0.90 meq/kg), fiber (2.02% to 9.51%), carbohydrate (76.49% to 84. 63%), and calorie (443.38 to 396.52 Kcal). The consumers did not find significant differences in acceptability between the control biscuits and the biscuits with 25% of fat replaced by RD and IN except color and flavor that were better than the control. Gluten-free biscuits containing IN25 and RD25 were similar to the control biscuits, and they could have additional health benefits derived from IN and RD presence.
 

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Resistant starches are classified in the category of indigestible starches and are introduced as a prebiotic product, which has lower calories and is cheaper compared to other dietary fibers. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to use type III resistant starch produced by thermal method at levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30% in a completely random design as a substitute for wheat flour in biscuit, doughnut and cookie formulation. The results showed that by replacing wheat flour with resistant starch in the formulation more than 20%, the moisture content and water activity of the final product increased and decreased respectively. The specific volume and porosity of the doughnut were stable up to the level of 15% of resistant starch and then decreased. Also, the sample containing 15% resistant starch had the lowest amount of firmness in all the products. On the other hand, with the replacement of resistant starch in the formulation of the examined products on levels of 15% and above, the amount of L* value increased and the a* and b* values were decreased. The panelists also introduced the sample containing 15% resistant starch as the best sample. Therefore, it can be said that by replacing 15% of wheat flour with resistant starch, in addition to maintaining the physicochemical, textural and sensory characteristics of the final product, it is possible to enrich these snacks and the consumer can benefit from the benefits of using prebiotic products.
 

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During last decades, consumer awareness in importance of healthy intake has led their tendency towards the potential health benefits of particular foods and food ingredients. These conditions resulted in development of functional foods. In the current research, the effect of different concentrations of demineralized ultrafiltrated whey powder (DUWP) at levels of 0, 1 and 2% (W/V) and lactulose at levels of 0 and 1% (W/V) on symbiotic ultrafiltrated cheese were evaluated as a functional food. The color values, total acceptability and survival ability of Bifidobacterium bifidium during 60 days of storage at 4 °C were studied. Results showed that as the amount of lactulose and DUWP powders increased, the number of probiotics enhanced meaningfully, while the number of probiotic bacteria deceased with passing the storage time (p<0.001). However, the count of probiotic bacteria in samples containing lactulose and 1 or 2% DUWP at the end of 60 days of storage time were in the standard range of probiotic foods (>10⁷ Log cfu/g). The colorimetric results showed that as the amount of DUWP and the storage time increased, the lightness (L*) decreased significantly (p<0.001); but addition of both powders had no significant effect on a* and b* values. Based on the obtained results, the synbiotic cheese containing 1% DUWP and 1% lactulose powder as compare to control sample had a higher count of probiotic bacteria. Meanwhile, no differences in color quality and total acceptability were found between these two samples. Therefore, this synbiotic ultrafiltrated cheese was determined as the best functional cheese sample.

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 Dairy products such as yogurt are considered as one of the most popular foods in the world. Beside the probiotics, functional ingredients such as prebiotics are also used in various products. One of the functional ingredients is propolis which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-tumor properties, and in addition to this properties it can be a prebiotic which can have beneficial effects on the human digestive system. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of propolis extract on the physicochemical, sensory and microbial characteristics of synbiotic yogurt inoculated with Lactobacillus casei. This study was conducted in five treatments (control (A), 1% (B), 2% (C), 3% (D), 4% (E)) and three replications. Physical and chemical properties such as antioxidant activity and total polyphenol, acidity and pH, syneresis, texture (hardness, stickiness, springiness and chewiness), probiotics survival as well as sensory properties (taste, odor, texture, color and general acceptance) of yogurt samples in days 1, 7, 14 and 21 were measured. According to the results of the sensory evaluation team, the highest level of favorability was related to the control treatment. The lowest pH value in the control sample was 1% and showed a significant difference with the 2%, 3% and 4% treatments. The highest level of acidity was related to the 4% treatment and also on the 21st day compared to the seventh day, the highest level of acidity was observed in the 4% treatment. The results of the survival of L. casei on different days showed that the effect of time and propolis percentage on the survival of probiotic bacterium was significant. The highest number of L. casei was observed in 4% treatment. It can be concluded that propolis can be used as a prebiotic in yogurt, which can improve the functional and textural properties of yogurt.
 

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The different aspects of using dietary supplements such as prebiotics in aquaculture and their effects on innate immune response, and especially their vertical transmission, are of a grave importance. To address such issues in both horizontal and vertical transmission of boosting immune system, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of different levels of dietary Agrimos^® on the innate immune-related gene expression [Lysozyme (Lyz) and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα)], DNA methylation, and three Histone MethylTransferase [HMTs (H3K4, H3K9, H3K27)] activities as well as growth performance in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Three hundred and sixty healthy 24-days-old zebrafish were randomly distributed in twelve aquaria assigned to four groups. Zebrafish were fed with either control diet or a diet supplemented by different levels (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8%) of Agrimos^® for 90 days. The offspring of each treatment was assessed to find the potential of vertical transmission of immunity by using this dietary prebiotic. At the end of the experiment, gene expression studies revealed significant up-regulation (P˂ 0.05) of TNFα and Lyz genes in 0.2 and 0.4% Agrimos^® fed fish compared with the control group. Although our findings showed that supplemented diet reduced DNA methylation (P˂ 0.05) in Agrimos^® treatments compared with the control, there was no significant change in all three HMTs’ activities among experimental groups (P> 0.05). The result shows the successful transmission of Lyz gene expression as an innate immune response to the offspring of the treated adults and supports a direct role of DNA demethylation in the regulation of these candidate gene expressions, suggesting possible role of diet on regulating the epigenetic processes.