Probiotics currently available on the market, are limited only on a few different species of microorganisms. Among them the well known members of genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are prevailing. But there is a lot of different genera of bacteria in our gut, that could potentionally serve as next-generation probiotics. Unlike the conventional probiotics, that have a history of safe use in human nutrition, next-generation probiotics have to be proven to be safe, not only effective. Neither one of the potential next-generation probiotics species has a QPS status. Among the most promising are species Feacalibacterim prausnitzii, Akkermansia muciniphila and Eubacterium hallii. The representatives of aforementioned species can have a positive effect on body weight and immune response. The mechanisms on which these effects rely on, however, are different among species and even strains. It is worth to mention also genetically engineered conventional probiotics. With this approach, we could introduce new traits in the genomes of bacteria and potentionally produce microorganisms, that are more resistant to different physical conditions, such as resistance to oxygen. Most candidates of the next-generation probiotics are obligate anaerobes, unlike the commercial probiotics used today. This trait makes the formulation of probiotic products more difficult.
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