Kameda Seika is a leading global rice cracker company which has extensively researched rice-based lactobacillus for over 25 years, accumulating several health claims. As a result, Kameda’s postbiotic Lactobacillus K-1 (Lactobacillus casei subsp, 327) has been scientifically backed to improve both digestive and skin health and can be used in a variety of food, beverages and supplements.
Kerry will now drive the commercialisation of this ingredient to reach consumers outside of Japan.
Commenting on the new agreement, Dan Benson, applied health and nutrition lead for Kerry APMEA, said: “As lifespans increase globally, the search is on to find innovative and sustainable solutions which will help consumers to stay active and healthy for as long as possible.
"This new postbiotic is a premium science backed ingredient that builds on our core strengths in digestive and immune health. We are excited by the opportunity to incorporate this premium postbiotic into our growing portfolio of science-backed branded ingredients, which includes solutions to improve digestive, immune, cognitive, infant and women’s health.”
Dr Lekh Juneja, Chairman CEO Kameda Seika added: “We are very pleased to partner with Kerry, a world leader in the development of taste and nutrition solutions for the food, beverage and supplement markets. Kerry is an ideal partner, with deep expertise in science backed branded ingredients, including probiotics and postbiotics, and their footprint of dedicated innovation and application centers of excellence across the globe.
"We are extremely proud of the development of Lactobacillus K-1 (Lactobacillus casei subsp, 327), which has already demonstrated many health benefits in clinical trials. We look forward to this partnership with Kerry, who will bring this postbiotic to a much larger global audience.”
The science of postbiotics
The gut microbiome consists of approximately 100 trillion microbial cells of a variety of species, and crosstalk between gut microorganisms and the host plays a pivotal role in human health.
Growing evidence suggests that intake of potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria can improve skin health. The basis of such activities is believed to be the restriction of unfavourable intestinal bacterial population, which produce phenols that may disturb skin conditions. In contrast to these studies, our study used heat-killed lactobacillus cells as a dietary supplement. Whether or not the benefits of the preparation are mediated through a similar mechanism should be studied in future studies.
Kameida Seika's randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study was conducted to determine whether oral intake of heat-killed L. casei subsp. casei 327 (L. K-1) is an effective way to improve skin condition in female volunteers. Subjects ingested either a placebo or heat-killed L. K-1 (50 mg, approximately 1 × 1011 bacteria per day) for eight weeks. Intake of L. K-1 was found to reduce TEWL, a physical measurement of the rate of water loss from the skin, at the arm, but not at the cheek.
L. K-1 intake did not significantly improve stratum corneum hydration level (another skin hydration parameter employed in this study). While TEWL is a measure of transpiration and skin barrier function, corneum hydration level measures the reactive capacitance of the skin, with the stratum corneum acting as a dielectric membrane.