The probiotics market is growing exponentially, but some research claims that the benefits they elicit may not be related to the viability of the microorganisms themselves. Instead, many of the health benefits yielded from pre-, pro-, and synbiotics are derived from the wide array of metabolic products and structural components they produce.
Introducing postbiotics, the structural and metabolic products of microbes, like cell wall fragments, bacterial lysates, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These products are produced when probiotic bacteria ferment prebiotics, but they can also be yielded through processing applications such as pasteurization.
Therefore, postbiotic products can be developed in the lab to help transport your company into the next generation of gut health.
Here, we introduce the benefits of pasteurization on the probiotic market and an expertly formulated blend of yeast fermentate and 10 pasteurized probiotic strains.
What are pasteurized probiotics?
Typically, probiotics are bacteria or yeast that when consumed in large enough quantities have health benefits[i].
The most common strains of probiotics are:
- Bifidobacteria
- Lactobacilli
- Saccharomyces (yeast)
Pasteurized probiotics are beneficial bacteria or foods that have undergone the process of pasteurization[ii]. Pasteurization is a heat treatment, generally below the boiling point of water (100oC) that destroys harmful pathogens in foods and drinks, preventing the risk of food-borne illness[iii]. Some common foods that go through the pasteurization process include:
- Milk
- Orange juice
- Yoghurt
- Deli meat
When probiotics are pasteurized, the bacteria are no longer viable, and they are then known as postbiotics.
Why pasteurize probiotics?
Probiotics and fermented foods indeed have health benefits. For example, many probiotics help to modulate the composition of the gut microbiome, protect the host from inflammatory disease, and help to strengthen the intestinal lining.
Despite their popularity, the Probiotic Market Size was valued at $54.73 billion, there is still some concern about their safety. Some of the concerns raised about probiotics include:
- The transfer of antibiotic-resistant genes
- The presence and transfer of unwanted live microbial contaminants or pathogens
- Their suitability for specific populations, such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, vulnerable people, and immunocompromised individuals
- Interactions with some medications[iv]
Therefore, pasteurization helps to improve the safety profile of the probiotic bacteria, but it also has wider benefits, such as yielding health-promoting metabolites without the presence of live bacteria.
What are the benefits of pasteurized postbiotics?
When probiotic bacteria are pasteurized, they are heated to a specific temperature which effectively kills them, but they also leave behind a range of beneficial compounds and metabolites, called postbiotics.
The official definition of postbiotics, published by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) is:
“a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host”[v]
So, postbiotics are the non-viable (heat-killed) micro-organisms and their metabolites, like:
- Vitamins and amino acids
- Bacterial lysates
- Cell wall fragments
- Phenols
- Cell-free supernatants
- Exopolysaccharide
- Enzymes
- Proteins and peptides
- Neurotransmitters
- Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
Although an emerging area of research, the potential for postbiotics in human health is exciting. Some of the positive effects of postbiotics are associated with the following areas:
- Immunity and inflammation
- Gut microbiome diversity
- Gut mucosa
- Nervous system and metabolism
Immunity and inflammation
Research has shown that postbiotics, like bioactive molecules and cell wall components, can stop the growth of pathogens and regulate the immune response. For example, cell wall components, such as peptidoglycan may bind to receptors on the surface of immune cells stimulating them to produce cytokines[vi].
Furthermore, a study by Ji et al (2016) found that butyrate increases the activity of a specific type of immune cell, called M2 macrophages, in both in vitro and in vivo studies. In mice with colitis, butyrate lowered the level of inflammation and increased the presence of the macrophages which are linked to low inflammation. The butyrate was shown to initiate this response by activating a signaling pathway within the macrophages which resulted in lowered inflammation[vii]
Gut microbiome diversity
Postbiotics could be a viable alternative to probiotics for the management of gastrointestinal diseases, like ulcerative colitis, which are often associated with an imbalanced gut. Zhang et al (2022) demonstrated that while probiotics and postbiotics improved the symptoms of colitis, it was the postbiotics derived from the Bifidobacterium adolescentis B8598 strain that had the greatest effect on gut microbiome diversity, composition, and metagenomic potential[viii].
Gut mucosa
The gut mucosa is a vital barrier between the gut and the rest of the body, if this lining is undermined it can lead to an inflammatory response. An intestinal barrier that has lost its integrity is associated with a range of chronic diseases[ix].
Yet, several postbiotics have been shown to strengthen the gut lining, reducing the risk of pathogens translocating throughout the body and lowering inflammation[x]. Gao et al demonstrated in 2019 that a novel secreted protein that is involved in the beneficial effects associated with a Lactobacillus rhamnosus (GG) culture supernatant, HM0539, has a protective effect on the gut lining[xi]. It does this by increasing the production of mucin and preventing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) injury to the intestinal barrier[xii]
Nervous system and metabolism
As well as gut health benefits, emerging research shows that postbiotics can have a positive effect on the nervous system. For example, mice studies have shown that postbiotics derived from Lactobacillus plantarum can mitigate neurological issues caused by Salmonella infection[xiii]. Further animal studies have shown that postbiotic metabolites, namely sodium butyrate, could have a potential role in treating Parkinson’s Disease[xiv].
The beneficial effects of postbiotics on the gut microbiota could also prevent metabolic syndrome such as obesity and type 2 diabetes[xv]. Muramyl dipeptide is a bacterial cell wall component that has been shown to reduce insulin resistance in obese mice models. Muramyl dipeptide has insulin-sensitizing properties that are not dependent on weight loss or changes to the composition of the gut microbiome, and it could overcome high blood glucose levels caused by lipopolysaccharide.
Further benefits of postbiotics
That’s not all. Postbiotic products may have several other advantages over probiotics. For example, due to the concerns around safety, probiotics may not be a suitable therapeutic choice for vulnerable and young populations. Some fear that probiotics may lead to systemic infections because of bacterial translocation, or they may promote antibiotic-resistant genes, or interfere with the normal colonization of bacteria in the infant microbiome.
Pasteurized or heat-killed probiotic bacteria, on the other hand, may offer a better safety profile due to the lack of live bacterial cells without losing their key, beneficial properties[xvi].
How can I take advantage of postbiotics?
Postbiotics are an emerging product in the gut health and probiotic market. At Stockk Nutrition our PostBioPro Ultra Strength Postbiotic is a blend of 11 ingredients:
- Pasteurized Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Pasteurized Bifidobacterium lactis
- Pasteurized Bifidobacterium longum
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus casei
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus gasseri
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus paracasei
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus plantarum
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus reuteri
- Pasteurized Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Yeast fermentate
Advantages of pasteurized Bifidobacteria postbiotics
Our PostBioPro™ product contains three pasteurized probiotics derived from Bifidobacteria, one of the most well-researched probiotic bacteria. A study published in 2023 found that heat-killed Bifidobacterium longum BBMN68 protected allergic mice from mugwort pollen-induced allergic inflammation.
By administering yogurt containing the heat-killed postbiotic the immune status of the mice improved, by reducing airway inflammation and altering key allergy-associated biomarkers. But the postbiotics also had a direct positive effect on the composition of the gut microbiome[xvii].
Heat-killed probiotics may also minimize the risks associated with administering live bacteria to patients with IBD and still deliver their vital benefits. Feng et al (2022) found that postbiotics, namely the SCFAs and organic acids, from the strain Bifidobacterium bifidum B1628 could be effective at reducing colon tissue damage in IBD-affected mice[xviii]
Advantages of pasteurized Lactobacillus postbiotics
Like Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus is one of the most widely studied microbes in the world. It has gained huge scientific interest because of its numerous benefits on a wide range of biological processes.
Lactobacillus secreted supernatants can strengthen the gut environment because they are a rich source of bacteriocins that prevent the growth of pathogens[xix]. Animal studies have shown that cell-free supernatants derived from lactic acid bacteria can inhibit the growth of E. coli[xx].
The cell wall components of Lactobacilli also exhibit health advantages. For example, their cell walls have a thick layer of peptidoglycan which can suppress the production of interleukin-12 (IL-12) which is associated with the development of both autoimmune and inflammatory bowel diseases[xxi]. Teichoic acids, another cell wall component of Lactobacilli, can have an anti-inflammatory effect on intestinal epithelial cells by blocking the production of IL-8, another proinflammatory cytokine[xxii].
What is yeast fermentate and what benefit does it have?
Yeast fermentate is produced when yeast, often Saccharomyces cerevisiae is fermented. During this process, several beneficial metabolites are produced including antioxidants, peptides, and vitamins. When fermentation is complete, the yeast is inactivated, leaving behind a concoction of by-products from the process, known as yeast fermentate.
Yeast fermentate is considered a postbiotic and research has shown that it can have beneficial effects, including supporting or improving gut health, boosting the immune system, and lowering inflammation.
A study by Pinheiro et al., (2017) found that a type of yeast fermentate could modulate the gut microbiome in people with gastrointestinal discomfort and constipation, resulting in an improvement in symptoms[xxiii].
What’s the recommended dose of PostBioPro Ultra Strength Postbiotic?
The recommended dosage for the PostBioPro product is 600 mg to 1200 mg per serving.
Summary
Postbiotics are the next generation in the probiotic market, with the potential to deliver health benefits with a reduced risk.
Be the first to ride the wave and get in touch with the team at Stockk Nutrition to find out how to add PostBioPro to your product offering.
Written by: Leanne Edermaniger, MSc. Science Communicator.
Sources
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