Additional studies highlight immune health benefits of Ganeden’s Staimune

25 Sep 2017 --- Ganeden has announced additional studies confirming the benefits of its novel immune health ingredient Staimune. The new ingredient became available earlier this summer and utilizes the inactivated cells of the patented shelf-stable probiotic strain GanedenBC30 to support immune health, at cost-effective inclusion levels, the company announced in its press release.

Staimune is officially identified as “Inactivated Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086.” The ingredient was launched in response to growing demand for immune health protection and Ganeden reports it is gaining interest for formulation in a variety of food and beverage categories.

Numerous previous studies of the strain had shown immune-supporting benefits. Research had demonstrated that even when inactivated, the cells of GanedenBC30 continued to confer immune health benefits, leading to the introduction of Staimune. This prompted the company’s science team to delve further into the bacteria’s relationship to immunity.

Latest study reaffirms immune effects
In the newest study, which was published in the Journal of Inflammation Research, previous lab studies were repeated to demonstrate that the immune effects of the cells were maintained, even when inactivated through a commercial production process. The results show that the inactivated bacterial cells had similar immune activation and anti-inflammatory effects as live cells.

“This study, which is Ganeden’s 27th to be published, validates what the science team had previously discovered – that Staimune does an exceptional job supporting immune health regardless of the inactivation process,” says Dr. David Keller, Vice President of Scientific Operations for Ganeden. “Science is a driving factor behind all Ganeden offerings, and the extensive and ongoing research being conducted on Staimune gives manufacturers confirmation that the new ingredient will deliver the immune benefits consumers want.”

Ganeden also recently completed a human trial, with initial findings demonstrating that Staimune supports a heathy immune system response to different stressors. Details of the trial will be released at a later date.

“What we have found in previous research is, the immune activity of the bacteria is related to the structures in the cell walls themselves and regardless of whether the bacteria is alive or inactivate, it still maintains the immune effects,” Dr. Keller told NutritionInsight at the IFT Food Expo in Las Vegas. 

“We’ve just recently published our 25th and 26th papers related to our exact strain,” Keller said at the time. “One looked at the ability for BC30 to affect the utilization of plant protein – soy, pea and rice. The other one was a study done with the Israeli army looking at soldiers in an elite training unit and combining HMB with BC30 increasing utilization uptake of HMB along with the BC30.”

Ganeden points out that Staimune’s ease of formulation opens up new opportunities in functional foods and beverages – most importantly in shelf-stable beverages and high-water-activity products.

“The cells in Staimune are no longer alive, so one benefit is that the ingredient can be formulated into products where probiotics simply can’t go,” Michael Bush, CEO of Ganeden, told NutritionInsight earlier this year.

“GanedenBC30 is shelf stable, but for various reasons, it can’t survive in certain products such as shelf stable beverages or high-water-activity products. Staimune allows us to enter into new markets that we’ve never been able to enter before, especially internationally where refrigerated shipping is not the norm.”

Staimune offers functional immune health benefits when fortified into any food or beverage category, Ganeden says, with the biggest opportunities in shelf-stable beverages and high-water-activity products, where there are formulation challenges for live probiotics.

The ingredient is FDA GRAS for usage in children and adults, and Ganeden has notified the FDA of self-affirmed GRAS for infant formula. It is also non-GMO, organic compliant and kosher, making it extremely accessible for use in a vast amount of applications, at cost-effective inclusion rates that don’t alter texture or flavor.

A copy of the full Staimune study can be found on the Dove Press website. 

By Paul Creasy