Polyphenols have attracted much attention recently due to their promising benefits such as potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Most polyphenols are poorly absorbed in the small intestine due to their glycol-conjugated forms, so intestinal microbiota plays an important role to release the aglycones and promote colonic absorption of polyphenols.
However, not all live bacteria can promote polyphenol absorption efficiently.
Morinaga investigated the ability of Bifidobacteria to release aglycones and found a specific species which could hydrolyze polyphenols in a short time.
