Probiotics, In Every Possible Formula

This is no secret; probiotics are an attractive ingredient. With scientific evidence on their efficacy, strong official health claims and popularity with a variety of consumers, brands want to combine probiotics with other ingredients for unique benefits. Indeed, 17.6% of global consumers seek out probiotics when buying supplements, and 18.1% of them are willing to pay premium for products that contain probiotics. Among 86.9% of the global consumers who have heard about probiotics, 22.2% of them like to see probiotics in supplement formulas.

A need for experts in formulation

As they are alive microorganisms, combination with other ingredients is not a simple process and require a unique expertise. New ingredients must follow a strict validation process to guarantee their compatibility and stability beforehand. There is a growing market for probiotics mixed with various prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, and botanical extracts. What we will see more and more is high quality ingredients like saffron extract, ashwagandha, melatonin, Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), etc.

The successful example of B. lactis Lafti® B94

Lallemand Health Solutions has done some research on how specific probiotic strains might work synergistically with specific ingredients such as prebiotics. In a recent clinical study [Basturk, 2016], the scientists investigated the efficacy of B. lactis Lafti® B94 with or without inulin, in children and teenagers. In this study, 71 children and teenagers from 4 to 16 years old were enrolled based on ROME III criteria (IBS). During the 4-week experiment, randomized participants were taking twice a day, either a prebiotic (inulin), a probiotic (B. lactis Lafti® B94) or a synbiotic (both inulin and Lafti® B94). At the end of the month, multiple parameters were monitored. The results showed
significant improvements in the synbiotic group, demonstrating that there was a synergy between the probiotic and prebiotic.

Combined effect is a trend to watch

Lallemand Health Solutions has also in place a documentation plan for some strains combination with FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) for gut health applications. Furthermore, the pioneering psychobiotic Cerebiome® continues its quest for innovation and is now offered in combination with carefully selected botanical extracts such as saffron and ashwagandha for mental wellness and emotional balance. This is to say, ingredient combinations to obtain a complementary effect of possibly synergistic effect is definitely a trend to watch.