Bac-in-a-Box™ can help probiotics reach their target in the gut – be it in humans or other animals
Humans
A fast growing area of interest in healthcare, or more specifically neutraceuticals, is the understanding and use of probiotic bacteria. Probiotics in the digestive system are critical for proper digestion and in fact more bacterial cells exist per gram of gut contents than cells in the entire human body. Due to the extensive use of antibiotics and the trend towards processed rather than raw foods, many digestive problems due to incorrect gut bacteria populations are emerging in the human population. Despite some recent media attention and scrutiny due to false claims and inappropriate advertising, it is clear that the probiotics industry is set to boom. Much is still to be scientifically understood in this area, but it is clear that it is beneficial to populate (or repopulate after use of antibiotics) the gut with the correct probiotic bacteria. However, one challenge of the industry is to enable survival of the bacteria through the stomach acid, so that they can reach and populate the intestinal tract.
Farm animals
It is becoming clear probiotics are as important to animals as they are to human digestion. As preventative antibodies are being used less in farming, problems such as diarrhea are rife; there is a clear need to find alternative methods to control and prevent pathogenic bacterial colonization. This is not only because of animal welfare and higher yields, but also because pathogenic bacteria in farm animals pose a safety threat since they may be transmitted to the consumer. Probiotics offer a solution to the problem by antagonising these “bad” bacteria.
For example, due to similarities with the human digestion system, Bac-in-a-Box™ can be used for delivery beneficial probiotics to pigs in order to reduce gut associated problems by increasing feed digestion, nutrient absorption and in turn increasing meat production for the farming industry.
Some potential applications for Cell-in-a-Box™ and Bac-in-a-Box™ technology
- Probiotics
- Mycotoxin removal
