Scientists develop coated probiotics that could be effectively delivered
into the human gut

Date:
March 25, 2022
Source:
Nanyang Technological University
Summary:
Scientists have developed probiotics with a unique edible coating
that ensures the beneficial bacteria successfully reach the
intestine once they are ingested.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore)
have developed probiotics with a unique edible coating that ensures
the beneficial bacteria successfully reach the intestine once they
are ingested.


========================================================================== Probiotics are defined by the World Health Organisation as live
microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer
a health benefit on the host[1]. They have been shown to help prevent infections of the urinary and digestive tracts, and to maintain a healthy
gut flora, which is linked to reducing the risk of obesity and promoting overall well-being[2].

However, several modes of delivering probiotics, including supplements
and dairy products, have not been effective in ensuring they survive
conditions in the human stomach to be delivered in quantities that would
be sufficient to benefit one's health. Many studies show that the bulk
of probiotics delivered in commercial supplements and yogurts die off
within the first 30 minutes of exposure to the acidic environment of
the stomach[3].

In the NTU-study, the probiotics, gut-friendly
Lacticaseibacillusbacteria,are spray-coated with alginate, a carbohydrate derived from brown algae, protecting them from the harsh acidic conditions
in the stomach.

Through experiments simulating a journey along the human digestive tract,
only the probiotics with the NTU-developed coating survived. The bacteria
are released only when they reach the small intestine, as the coating
breaks down by reacting with phosphate ions, which are present in higher amounts in the small intestine.

Development of the alginate coating technology reflects NTU's commitment
to the needs and challenges of healthy living and ageing, which is one
of four humanity's grand challenges that the University seeks to address through its NTU 2025 strategic plan.



========================================================================== Associate Professor Joachim Loo of NTU's School of Materials Science & Engineering, who led the study, said: "In recent years, scientific studies
have shown that the health of an individual is much more dependent
on the help of 'good bugs' in our gut than we previously thought."
"However, probiotics are delicate microorganisms and cannot survive
the harsh environment of our stomach. To increase the efficacy of
probiotics as a dietary supplement, we sought to "parcel-wrap" and
deliver them to specific sites of the intestine where they function
best. This moisture-stable packaging, through materials engineering,
makes for a more effective probiotic delivery and extends the shelf-life
of the supplements." Ms Tan Li Ling, a PhD student at NTU's School of Materials Science & Engineering, who was first author of the study, said:
"We selected alginate as the coating material as it is safe for human consumption, of natural origin, and relatively low-cost. Alginate also
exhibits acid-buffering properties, which can protect the probiotics
against the harsh conditions caused by gastric acid." The results of the
study were published in the peer-reviewed academic publicationCarbohydrate Polymersin February. A patent application for the probiotics coating
technology has also been filed through NTU's enterprise and innovation
company, NTUitive.

Expanding the use case of probiotics The NTU probiotics coating technology
is customisable and can be used to create powder-like coated probiotics,
which are about 10mm (0.0004 inch) in diameter.



==========================================================================
The method uses protective sugars alongside alginate, so that the
bacteria are not killed during the manufacturing process. In addition,
the use of calcium ions allows the coating from degrading in liquids,
or in a moist environment, giving it a longer shelf-life.

The method also utilises the technique of spray-drying to produce the
coated probiotics. Spray-drying is a cost-effective and high-throughput
method of production, which is already commonly used by the food and pharmaceutical industries. It would allow the NTU-developed coated
probiotics to be produced affordably and in large quantities.

To make the coated probiotics, the scientists cultivated Lacticaseibacillusbacteria, before washing them in a salt solution. After which, the bacteria were packed together in a concentration that reflected
the United Nations recommended dosage of probiotics[4]. Finally, the
probiotics were spray-dried and coated in alginate. The whole process
takes about an hour.

If refrigerated, the coated probiotic bacteria could survive for over
eight weeks. The NTU-developed also did not degrade at all, and was
able to protect probiotics against gastric acid, during an eight-week
testing period.

In comparison, probiotic drinks have a shelf life of up to seven weeks
when refrigerated, but the probiotics they contain start to die off after
being left at room temperature after a few hours[5], say the scientists.

Besides potentially serving as a more effective way to deliver probiotics,
the NTU scientists say they are exploring using their innovation to enrich
food and drinks, such as beer and other canned beverages, with probiotics.

Assoc Prof Looadded: "With a paradigm shift towards disease prevention
rather than treatment, probiotics may therefore hold the key in shaping
one's health, keeping one in the pink of health. By further adapting
the coating technology, it will be possible to apply it to a range
of other probiotics, and for other purposes too, including commercial applications in the agri-food and medical industries." Ms Tan added:
"This technology is highly versatile as the coated probiotics can be incorporated into many different product types, including dietary
supplements and pills, food and beverages, and even animal feeds."
The NTU-developed technology has received interest from companies in
the F&B industry to adopt and further develop it.

The scientists will be working on testing their innovation on other types
of probiotics, which would enable it to be applied to the agrifoodtech industry, as it could be used to enrich the diets of reared animals,
such as fish and chicken, with probiotics, to find alternatives to
antibiotics in agri-farming.

Notes [1] Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization Expert Consultation (2001).

[2] Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School. Health benefits
of taking probiotics (2020).

[3] FEMS Microbes, Volume 1, Issue 1. Expired probiotics: what is really
in your cabinet? (2020).

[4] Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and World
Health Organization. Joint FAO/WHO working group report on drafting
guidelines for the evaluation of probiotics in food. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 2002.

[5] Digestion. Dying in yoghurt: the number of living bacteria in
probiotic yoghurt decreases under exposure to room temperature, 2014.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Nanyang_Technological_University. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Li Ling Tan, Manish Mahotra, Si Ye Chan, Say Chye Joachim Loo. In
situ
alginate crosslinking during spray-drying of lactobacilli probiotics
promotes gastrointestinal-targeted delivery. Carbohydrate Polymers,
2022; 286: 119279 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119279 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220325093821.htm

--- up 3 weeks, 4 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)