PLT puts weight behind 'revolutionary' probiotic

GanedenBC30, which achieved self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status last month, is said to be able to withstand harsh manufacturing processes, which have in the past posed limitations on the use of the ingredients.

Whereas the beneficial bacteria in most probiotics do not survive heat, humidity and other harsh conditions, Ganeden claims its new ingredient maintains viable cells even when processed using high pressure, high heat and cold conditions.

"GanedenBC30 can be baked, boiled, frozen and squeezed into virtually any food and beverage application," it said.

The patented probiotic also claims to have a long shelf life, low use level and does not need to be refrigerated.

In addition, it is said to be able to survive gastric acidity.

The key to the ingredient's survival is a natural organic layer that serves as a protective shield against the manufacturing process, shelf life, stomach acids and intestinal bile.

"Until we were introduced to GanedenBC30, we did not believe that a probiotic could be a viable ingredient in mainstream, high volume foods and beverages because every strain we looked at was so fragile," said PLT president Paul Flowerman.

The ingredient is a "revolutionary product", he said, adding that the partnership between Ganeden and PLT aims to make the probiotic an "industry standard".

The probiotic market has grown exponentially in the past few years in the US and is predicted to still have significant room to grow for those companies who can effectively communicate the benefits of the ingredient to consumers.

The concept of friendly bacteria first gained foothold in Europe and has slowly made its way over to the US where, according to Euromonitor data, the probiotic spoonable yoghurt market alone went from $112m in 2001 to $294m in 2006.

"Because of this unique make-up, GanedenBC30 survives the hostile environment of the stomach, colonizes the intestines, and produces lactic acid, which are all critical factors to the success of a probiotic," Said Ganeden's founder and chief scientist, Sean Farmer.

Ganeden has said that an independent panel of scientists conducted an evaluation of research studies and toxicology data on its ingredient.

GanedenBC30 is currently used in dietary supplements, as well as animal health products, feminine hygiene and topical applications.

According to Ganeden, the partnership with PLT will allow the company to broaden the applications of its ingredient across the functional food and beverage sectors.

PLT is not the only ingredient firm to have identified the potential in Ganeden's product.

In November last year, Dutch firm DSM invested $12m in Ganeden, in an effort to cement its presence in the fast-evolving area of nutrition.

"We think that Geneden Biotech's BC30 strains have unique properties which could enable many new probiotic applications in both food and feed, that we want to follow closely as an area of potential future business for DSM," said Krijn Rietveld, senior VP, new business development at DSM Nutritional Products in November.

The firm said that besides its venturing investments it is also evaluating possible further partnering with Gandeden for the development of specific applications.