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FAO Technical meeting on prebiotics
Maya Pineiro1, Nils-Georg Asp, Gregor Reid
1Food Quality and Standards Service, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy. Maya.Pineiro@fao.org
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
|August 8, 2008
Summary
International experts established guidelines for evaluating prebiotic functional and health properties, ensuring safe use in food. This FAO initiative provides scientific advice for governments, industry, and consumers on prebiotic assessment.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Nutrition
- Public Health
Background:
- Prebiotics offer potential health benefits, prompting the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to address their evaluation.
- A technical meeting was convened to initiate a systematic approach for assessing prebiotic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish guidelines, criteria, and methodology for evaluating the functional and health properties of prebiotics.
- To ensure the safe incorporation of prebiotics into food products.
- To provide scientific advice for regulatory bodies, industry, and consumers.
Main Methods:
- Convening a technical meeting of international experts.
- Developing agreed-upon guidelines, criteria, and methodology for prebiotic evaluation.
- Recommending a full expert consultation under FAO auspices.
Main Results:
- Consensus reached on a systematic approach for evaluating prebiotics.
- Guidelines developed for assessing functional, health, nutritional, and safety aspects.
- Recommendation for a comprehensive expert consultation.
Conclusions:
- The established guidelines facilitate the scientific assessment of prebiotics.
- These guidelines support accurate health and nutrition claims for prebiotics.
- The FAO initiative promotes the safe and informed use of prebiotics in food.
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