Prebiotic and Probiotic: What Is the Difference?
Prebiotic and probiotic are two different words that you may see on food labels. On a pack, prebiotic is usually associated with fibre, while probiotic refers to live cultures in a food. The NHS describes probiotics as live bacteria and yeasts.
Curd is a food that many people already keep at home. It can be called probiotic when the product is sold with live cultures. A fibre marked as prebiotic on a packet refers to something different. Having both words mentioned in one meal does not mean that fibre becomes live cultures or that live cultures become fibre.
The ISAPP Definition of a Prebiotic
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) defines a prebiotic as a substrate that is selectively utilized by the host's microorganisms and provides a health benefit.
The ISAPP also lists foods such as onions, garlic, bananas, chicory root and Jerusalem artichokes as sources associated with prebiotics, usually when consumed in appropriate amounts. Not every type of dietary fibre qualifies as a prebiotic.
On a food pack, probiotic refers to live cultures. Prebiotic refers to a different type of ingredient or fibre that is used by microorganisms in the body.
On a Horlicks Protein sachet, fibre and protein are two separate nutrients. The sachet lists 4 g of prebiotic fibre and 24 g of protein in a 36 g serving. It can be stirred into 200 ml of cold water or milk.
The bottled Horlicks Protein Milkshake lists 3.5 g of fibre and 20 g of ultra-filtered milk protein in a 240 ml bottle.
Live cultures are a separate consideration. If you want to identify a probiotic food such as curd, look for a product that specifically states that live cultures or cultures have been added.
If a label says prebiotic fibre, look at the number of grams of fibre listed next to it. If a label says live cultures, it is referring to microorganisms in the food.
Fibre and Live Cultures Are Different
You can count the 4 g of prebiotic fibre listed on the Horlicks Protein sachet. Curd sold with live cultures does not provide extra fibre simply because it is described as probiotic.
If the curd pot also lists protein, that protein belongs to the curd and should be counted separately.
A food product can contain information about both fibre and live cultures. Read each claim separately. Fibre is measured and listed in grams, while live cultures refer to microorganisms present in the food.
You can have both prebiotic fibre and probiotic foods on the same day. However, live cultures in a pot of curd do not add fibre to the fibre total. Similarly, fibre from a sachet does not become a probiotic simply because you consume it with curd.
How Much Fibre Are You Consuming?
If a Horlicks Protein sachet is marked as containing 4 g of prebiotic fibre and you consume the whole sachet, that contributes 4 g of fibre for the day.
- Whole sachet = 4 g of prebiotic fibre
- Half sachet = approximately 2 g of prebiotic fibre
- Two sachets = 8 g of prebiotic fibre
The amount of fibre you consume depends on how much of the product you actually consume.
Keeping Protein and Fibre Separate
The same Horlicks Protein sachet lists 24 g of protein along with 4 g of prebiotic fibre in a 36 g serving.
If you consume two complete sachets, the total would be approximately 48 g of protein and 8 g of prebiotic fibre from the two sachets.
If a serving of curd lists 6 g of protein, that 6 g should be counted as protein from the curd. If the curd is sold with live cultures, those cultures are a separate feature of the product.
You can consume a Horlicks Protein sachet and curd on the same day. Keep the information separate when tracking your nutrition: fibre from the sachet and live cultures from the curd when the curd product specifically states that it contains live cultures.
What Happens to Probiotic Cultures With Heat?
Heating curd can affect the live cultures present in it. A heated curd product may still contain nutrients such as protein if they are listed on the label, but heating can affect whether live cultures remain viable.
Therefore, when identifying a probiotic food, read what the product label actually states about live cultures rather than assuming that all curd automatically provides probiotics.
The Horlicks Protein sachet continues to list 4 g of prebiotic fibre regardless of whether you consume it with curd or separately.
Prebiotic vs Probiotic: The Simple Difference
Prebiotic and probiotic are not the same thing.
- Prebiotic refers to a substrate that is selectively used by microorganisms and is associated with a health benefit.
- Probiotic refers to live microorganisms, such as certain live bacteria and yeasts, when present in a food or product.
- Fibre should be counted according to the grams listed on the food label.
- Live cultures should be identified from the product's label or description.
You can have prebiotic fibre and probiotic foods on the same day. On a Horlicks Protein sachet, the listed nutrition includes 4 g of prebiotic fibre and 24 g of protein per 36 g serving.
Sources
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International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics.
Prebiotics.
View ISAPP Prebiotics Information -
NHS. Probiotics.
View NHS Probiotics Information