Friendly bugs can now be delivered safely to gutsPublished On: Tue, Sep 6th, 2011 | Gastroenterology | By BioNews
Shuttling friendly bugs to intestines is a challenging task as most of them perish under heavy acidic conditions of the stomach but a new technology can now deliver them safely to the guts.
Probiotic food contain live bugs that help maintain and improve gut health, strengthen immunity, fight gastro-intestinal and respiratory disorders and even show anti-tumour effects.
Scientists at the University of Wolverhampton, Britain, led by Iza Radecka have now developed a biopolymer that delivers the good bugs safely to the intestines where they can get to work.
The new technology could also be used to increase calcium absorption.
The biopolymer is completely biodegradable and is able to remain intact in the stomach and continue to stay in the intestine, where it releases these bugs, according to a Wolverhamption statement.
Good bugs like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria strains were able to survive in a simulated gastric juice solution for up to four hours when they were coated with the bipolymer. Bacteria without this coating only survived for two hours.
“Our research uses a novel biodegradable, edible and non-toxic biopolymer to protect bacteria during storage and after ingestion,” explained Radecka.