The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics

This paper is the result of an ISAPP-led expert consensus panel discussion on the term ‘postbiotics’. The panel’s aims were to consider the scientific, commercial and regulatory parameters relevant to this term and to propose a clear, useful definition that supports future development of postbiotic products. The proposed definition of a postbiotic is a “preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host”. Metabolites alone are not sufficient to meet this definition; for clarity, purified metabolites should be referred to by their chemical names.

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Salminen S, Collado MC, Endo A, Hill C, Lebeer S, Quigley EMM, Sanders ME, Shamir R, Swann JR, Szajewska H, Vinderola G. The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;18(9):649-667. doi: 10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6. Erratum in: Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;18(9):671. doi: 10.1038/s41575-021-00481-x. Erratum in: Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2022;19(8):551. doi: 10.1038/s41575-022-00628-4.