Postbiotic
Preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host (ISAPP 2021 definition).
Postbiotics include heat-killed cells, cell wall fragments, exopolysaccharides, and other microbial components, but the ISAPP definition explicitly does not include purified microbial metabolites such as isolated SCFAs. The term resolves prior ambiguity around "parabiotic," "ghost probiotic," and similar labels. Postbiotics offer regulatory and stability advantages over live probiotics.
How one textbook covers it
Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 37: Biotics and Fermented Foods
Postbiotics include heat-killed cells, cell wall fragments, exopolysaccharides, and other microbial components, but the ISAPP definition explicitly does not include purified microbial metabolites such as isolated SCFAs. The term resolves prior ambiguity around "parabiotic," "ghost probiotic," and similar labels. Postbiotics offer regulatory and stability advantages over live probiotics.
Related terms
ISAPP, Prebiotic, Probiotic, SCFA