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World J Diabetes. Aug 15, 2025; 16(8): 107775
Published online Aug 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i8.107775
Prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic properties of fermented corn starch and their application in type 2 diabetes management
Lemohang Gumenku, Ochuko Lucky Erukainure, Md Shahidul Islam, Ademola O Olaniran
Lemohang Gumenku, Ochuko Lucky Erukainure, Ademola O Olaniran, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Lemohang Gumenku, Ochuko Lucky Erukainure, Md Shahidul Islam, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Co-corresponding authors: Md Shahidul Islam and Ademola O Olaniran.
Author contributions: Gumenku L and Erukainure OL conceptualized the work; Islam MS and Olaniran AO made intellectual contributions by revising and editing the manuscript before submission, supervised the project, and made equal contributions as co-corresponding authors. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by the Research Office, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban; and an Incentive Grant from the National Research Foundation, Pretoria, South Africa, No. 145943.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Islam MS reports grants from The University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, and grants from the National Research Foundation, Pretoria, South Africa, during the conduct of the study.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Md Shahidul Islam, PhD, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University Road, Chiltern Hills, Durban 4000, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. islamd@ukzn.ac.za
Received: April 1, 2025
Revised: May 17, 2025
Accepted: June 23, 2025
Published online: August 15, 2025
Processing time: 139 Days and 1.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic properties of fermented corn starch offer promising therapeutic applications in the management of type 2 diabetes. By investigating the bioactive compounds and their influence on gut microbiota composition, insulin sensitivity, and glucose homeostasis, this review highlights the potential of these fermented products to improve metabolic health. Fermented corn starch could serve as a functional food to complement existing diabetes management strategies, offering novel microbiome-based interventions.