CPHI 2024 live: Exploring the new frontier in biotics research and applications

Nutraceutical companies are showcasing their solutions in the booming biotics market at the ongoing CPHI trade expo in Milan, Italy. On the show floor, we met with AB-Biotics, Unique Biotech and Sirio Pharma to examine their precision probiotics and concepts for gut health. The industry experts highlight the potential for products targeting specific health areas beyond the gut, such as women’s health, immunity and oral health, and spotlight the demand for new delivery formats. 

Miquel Bonachera, co-founder of AB-Biotics, tells Nutrition Insight that gut health probiotics comprise around 80% of the market. “We have to be realistic — gastrointestinal health is what people are looking for. It’s essential to explain well why bacteria help a different position.” 

He adds that, initially, probiotics were not very well known in the market, and research focused on demonstrating their safety. However, the company knew it was safe based on its research and because AB-Biotics was isolating strains from healthy people. 

“We decided, first of all, to characterize the strains very well, to choose a strain by the mechanism of action, and to go to the clinical trials with a clear target and focus on that particular target.” 

“We created a large, private strain collection bank that we were using to screen different probiotic applications. It was a long process for us to go bottom up, but when we arrived at the clinical trials, we could see the difference because we had an excellent level of efficacy.”

Examining gut axes

Krishna Teja Madempudi, one of the directors of India-based Unique Biotech, details that probiotics are spreading into new health areas, such as women’s health and cognition. On the show floor, the company featured several products launched for these markets this year. 

Teja Madempudi notes that these products meet the growing demand for women’s health solutions and products along the gut-brain axis. 

He highlights that the substantial increase in women’s health is the result of “research that is suggesting the link between vaginal flora, microbiome and gut health.” 

Unique Biotech featured new probiotic solutions in women’s health, cognition and digestion.“Another area of research we’ve seen is in the cognitive health space because of the connection between the gut and brain. We’ve gone into the gut-brain axis because that’s another market trend, specifically in US and European markets.” 

Meanwhile, Teja Madempudi details that the Indian and Southeast Asian markets still focus strongly on gut health. “We’re seeing a huge trend in probiotics — in developing countries, probiotics are just getting adopted, whereas in the developed countries, gut health already has a range of products.”

Targeted strains

Bonachera agrees that women’s health is “the most important trend on the market.” AB-Biotics developed strains for L. gasseri KABP 064, which can support and restore the natural balance of the healthy vaginal microbiota, reducing the risk of infection.

The company has also set up a research program in Japan, having been acquired by the Kaneka Corporation. “We have recently released our Gyntima menopause product, which was developed in Japan with our R&D team there.” 

He details how this product contains L. brevis KABP 052, L. plantarum KABP 051 and P. acidilactici KABP 021 and demonstrates much better maintenance of the estrogen level in menopausal women in this initial clinical trial.

“Menopause is different in the Japanese population, with milder symptoms, so we also developed a new product for the UK; we’ve already started with the clinical phase.” 

“We have also developed a Bifidobacterium strain for human milk oligosaccharides digestion that can be implemented in infant formula or supplementation. It’s bifidogenic, useful for a well-balanced microbiome development in infants.” 

Microbiome research

Bonachera details how comparing biomarkers in a healthy population with those in people with a specific health issue can help isolate a strain and identify a microbiome modulator that changes a patient’s homeostasis. Based on this research, AB-Biotics will launch an oral health product in the next three months. 

The company developed an eight-year research program in collaboration with a research institute in Valencia, Spain. 

Bonachera stresses the importance of explaining how bacteria support health beyond the gut.“And they found some biomarkers,” details Bonachera. “They isolated the strain with those particular biomarkers, and they saw that there was a significantly higher presence of a specific type of Streptococcus in people who never had caries than in the rest of the population.” 

“They tested the strain, and it’s a Streptococcus mutant, but it does not acidify the media and is a healthy material. Once all the testing was done, we had to work on colonizing that in a regular microbiome, how we can put that in the mouth and make sure the mouth microbiome changes.” 

Biotic partnerships

Also at CPHI, Sara Lesina, general manager of Sirio Europe and Americas, details the company’s GummiBiotics range — pectin-based gummies with clinically researched macrobiotic strains — to illustrate new concepts for nutraceutical brands. 

The range consists of four products but may be expanded in the future. Sirio Pharma included science-backed ingredients from its partners Cargill and ADM. 

“They are some of the best in the business regarding probiotics and postbiotics. They understand the space and the industry. We understand the dosage form, so it was a good marriage,” adds Lesina. 

She underscores that the concepts show the company’s capabilities and technical knowledge in R&D and manufacturing, as it can be a challenging product to formulate. 

“These are proven ingredients,” Lesina continues, “we’re confident how our partners produce them for maximum viability, and we are confident that we can encapsulate them with our patent technology for maximum effect.” 

She details that one of the main challenges is working with live bacteria instead of spores. “You have to process gummies at a high temperature that would kill the bacteria. But if you have inactivated spores, they can be reactivated in the intestines.” 

“You will not see a lot of biotic gummies, and for the ones you have, you need to scrutinize their CFU content and when this is measured, at the time of manufacturing, which is relatively easy, or at shelf life,” she cautions. 

Sirio Pharma featured pectin-based gummies with clinically researched macrobiotic strains.GummiBiotic product range

The first product in the range is an immune gummy, GummiBiotics Defense, with EpiCor, an inanimate yeast postbiotic from Cargill. 

“It boosts your immune defense. It’s not a medicine, but Cargill has conducted many clinical studies about this, and it’s proven to support gut health and especially immune health,” details Lesina. 

She highlights a recent clinical study on EpiCor use in children, which showed that the postbiotic helped reduce cold and flu symptoms, sore throat, muscle aches and pains and reduced the need for medication. “That’s why we’re saying it’s a gummy for the whole family, for kids from five and up — it boosts their immune strength and makes them more resistant.”

“We also have one for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It’s not a medicine, not curing, but it helps people deal with the symptoms better.”

Sirio Pharma partnered with ADM for this gummy. The GummiBiotics IBS Ease contains ADM’s ES1 Postbiotic, which provides comfort and helps with cramps and bloating. The diamond-shaped gummy has a lemon flavor.

“We also have the calcium and the xylo-oligosaccharides, and the gummy contains 2.5 billion CFU. It’s inactivated because of the gummy process, which is a high temperature. There are a ton of studies behind this ingredient.” 

Lesina details that the third concept is GummiBiotics Lean, which contains ADM’s DE111 (Bacillus subtilis), a probiotic that helps with fat burning, especially tummy fat, and adipose concentration.

“It’s also a combination with apple cider vinegar, which is famous as a diuretic type of ingredient and a consumer favorite. It’s one of the highest-grossing gummies in the world, apple cider vinegar, but the combination with the probiotic is something new. It also has a very high concentration of 2.5 billion CFU at shelf life.” 

“The last one is GummiBiotics DigestOn, containing high fiber polydextrose and 1.5 billion CFU of Weizmannia coagulans, which helps the digestive tract.”