Following the continuous development of technology in the probiotics industry, BioGrowing upgrades the technical abilities of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18

1. Development of the probiotics market

In recent years, basic research and applied research in the probiotics market have blossomed, and the world has shown a rapid development trend. Relevant data shows that the global probiotics market will worth about US$61.1 billion in 2021, and will continue to grow at an annual growth rate of 8.3%. It is expected that the global probiotics market will reach US$91.1 billion by 2026. According to data from the China Health Care Association, the domestic probiotics market will be about 87.98 billion CNY in 2020, and it will increase at an annual growth rate of more than 10%. At the same time, consumers are also showing strong demand for probiotic products. Data shows that in the past two years, in both food and beverage categories, probiotics have been the elements that most attracted consumers. Probiotics' applications include micro-ecological medicines, probiotic healthy foods, nutritional dietary supplements, fermented foods and beverages, snacks, chemical products for daily use, animal nutrition products, etc. These applications either directly utilize probiotics or utilize their fermentative feature. Some people in the industry also say that the probiotics industry should be considered the best biological industry in the past 20 years, with a wide range of applications and data on the effects of probiotics.

The data comes from the survey agency “Markets and Markets”

2. Lactobacillus plantarum among probiotic strains

Among the many probiotic strains, Lactobacillus plantarum is the most widely used strain, with long-term use and very good safety. Lactobacillus plantarum is included in the global probiotic regulations. The history of our domestic use can be traced back to kimchi and naturally fermented foods more than 1,000 years ago. In the Chinese probiotic regulations, Lactobacillus plantarum is also an edible safe strain.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a straight or curved rod shaped bacteria, usually in single, paired or short chains; it lacks flagella and can move; Gram-positive, no spores, facultative anaerobic; the colony on the surface is 3mm in diameter, raised, round shape, and the appearance is smooth, dense, white and occasionally light yellow or dark yellow. The optimum growth temperature is 30~35℃, which belongs to homofermentative lactic acid bacteria.

Lactobacillus plantarum can efficiently and quickly utilize carbohydrates and can quickly produce short-chain fatty acids such as lactic acid during fermentation or growth; it can also produce some special organic acids, such as caproic acid, phenyllactic acid, capric acid, butyric acid, etc. These organic acids assist the sugar-lipid metabolism in the human body and the short-chain fatty acids themselves are also energy sources that can be recycled in the body. In addition, these organic acids can help the body maintain a normal intestinal pH level and inhibit the proliferation of harmful or pathogenic bacteria; the organic acids can also be applied to biological preservatives to extend the shelf life of food. Whether we talk about anti-inflammatory, glucose and lipid regulation applications or applications in terms preservation, all of them can be regarded as very safe application directions.

The fermentation process of Lactobacillus plantarum produces some special volatile flavor substances, so that the taste and flavor of organic acids are generally easier to accept. Coupled with the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum to efficiently utilize sugar, the application of Lactobacillus plantarum to fermented foods has great potential for innovation, such as the development of plant yogurt, fermented plant beverages, fermented medicinal and food homologous beverages.

Some neurotransmitters, such as 5-hydroxytryptophan and γ-aminobutyric acid, are also found in the fermentation metabolites of Lactobacillus plantarum, which have good potential for improving the mood. Many lactic acid bacteria can produce γ-aminobutyric acid, but the level of γ-aminobutyric acid that can pass through the blood-brain barrier in the human body varies. The level of serotonin that can pass through the blood-brain barrier is very high, so the use of Lactobacillus plantarum to produce serotonin can be a good choice for subsequent development of mood management, sleep management and brain health.

In the study of the brain-gut axis, it was also found out that, compared with dopamine, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, which are relatively well-researched neurotransmitters, some short-chain fatty acids can affect the nerves. It is not very clear which specific short-chain fatty acids, but neurotransmitters, in addition to their effects on mood and brain health, can also interfere with the bowel movement regulation. There are also many reports in China and abroad on the use of Lactobacillus plantarum to relieve constipation.

The studies on Lactobacillus plantarum revealed that Lactobacillus plantarum can also produce some special enzymes that are involved in a wider range of metabolic activities in the human body, such as Glutamine Synthetase. Glutamine is an excellent amino acid. It can promote protein synthesis, increase muscle, reduce fat, antioxidant, improve body metabolism, nitrogen balance, improve brain function and mood, etc. Compared with glutamine itself, glutamine that can be synthesized by endogenous enzymes is more direct and efficient in availability.

3. Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18

The strain Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 is an intellectual property of BioGrowing Co., Ltd. Its gene structure confirms the belonging to the strain Lactobacillus plantarum, and the commercial code of the strain is Lp-G18. This strain can be also found at the China Center for Culture and Collection of Typical Microorganisms, the strain collection number is CCTCC M 2013690. After more than 10 years of research and ‘craftsmanship’, this strain has become an excellent probiotic. There have been more than 30 researches on this strain by domestic and foreign customers. One part of them revolves around the functional benefits of the strain L. plantarum Lp-G18 while the other part revolves around the metabolic characteristics of the strain. Some typical studies are listed below:

3.1. Studies on the functional benefits of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18

[Clinical Study 1] Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 has been found to have the effect of reducing inflammation level, blood lipid level and improving immunity in children and adults with nephrotic syndrome. Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 can significantly reduce the serum pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α level, significantly increase the serum anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 level, significantly reduce the serum triglyceride level and serum total cholesterol level.

Reference：Inflammatory cytokines and lipid profile in children and adolescents with nephrotic syndrome receiving L. Plantarum: a randomized, controlled feasibility trial. REV ASSOC MED BRAS 2020; 66(10):1487-1492；

[Clinical study 2] The compound preparation of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 is effective on metabolic diseases, obesity and hypertension. It can enhance the beneficial effect of energy restriction on cardiometabolic risk factors in obese hypertensive patients, and contribute to cardiovascular health.

Reference：Rationale and Design of a Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effects of Probiotics during Energy Restriction on Blood Pressure, Body Composition, Metabolic Profile and Vascular Function in Obese Hypertensive Individuals.Artery Research Vol. 26(2); June(2020), pp.102-110；

[Basic Research 3] Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 fermented wheat germ has very good potential for lipid-lowering, anti-aging and anti-oxidation for animals; it can improve the learning and memory ability of mice, reduce total cholesterol, triglyceride, serum glucose level; it has the effect of significantly increasing antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant levels, etc. It can also reduce the level of malondialdehyde in the brain, intestines and different organs of the body , improve intestinal abundance, increase the proportion of beneficial bacteria, and reduce the level of intestinal pathogenic bacteria.

Reference：Potential anti-aging effects of fermented wheat germ in aging mice. Food Bioscience, 2021.101182；

3.2. Examples of research reports in other fermentation directions:

(1) J. Li , X. Tang, J. Zhao , S. Chen, S. Wang and T. Shao. Improvement of fermentation quality and cellulose convertibility of Napier grass silage by inoculation of cellulolytic bacteria from Tibetan yak (Bos grunniens). Journal of Applied Microbiology ISSN 1364-5072, doi:10.1111/jam.14917

(2) Chen Huali. Research on the fermentation characteristics of compound fruit juice mixed bacteria and its quality change during storage. Master's thesis, Xiangtan University, June 2019;

(3) Yang Yu. Research on compound probiotic black rice beverage technology, Biological Chemical Engineering, Volume 7, Issue 4, August 2021;

(4) Shan Jing, Research on direct-throwing starter for skim goat milk probiotics, Yantai University,  Master's thesis, April 2019;

(5) Wu Wanlin, Yu Yuanshan, Xiao Gengsheng, Xu Yujuan, Wu Jijun, Li Lu, Zou Bo, Zou Ying. Fermentation characteristics of lactic acid bacteria in blueberry juice, Modern Food Science and Technology 2020, Vol.36, No.3 DOI: 10.13982/j.mfst.1673-9078.2020.3.021

(6) Xu Yu, Jiang Deyi, Han Di, Optimization of the fermentation process of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 and its glutamine synthetase activity, Dairy Science and Technology; 2019-02

(7) Junfeng Li, Xianjun Yuan, Zhihao Dong, Wazha Mugabe, Tao Shao. The effects of fibrolytic enzymes, cellulolytic fungi and bacteria on the fermentation characteristics, structural carbohydrates degradation, and enzymatic conversion yields of Pennisetum sinese silage. Bioresource Technology 264 (2018) 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.05.059

4. Research on the potential characteristics of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 of high-yielding glutamine synthetase

It has been discovered that compared with other commercial Lactobacillus plantarum strains, Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 has excellent potential to produce GS glutamine synthetase, which further broadens the horizon towards future health benefits of glutamine synthetase. BioGrowing respects the ethical red line requirement of not changing the bacterial gene structure and conducted its own research on the characteristics of Lactobacillus plantarum, stimulating the high production of GS glutamine synthetase by adjusting the fermentation substrate and parameters of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18. After systematic research and repeated verification, the production level of GS glutamine synthetase successfully increased by more than 30%. In 2018, BioGrowing applied for an invention patent for this process and it was recently authorized by the State Intellectual Property Office:

Due to the characteristics of its own genetic structure, lactic acid bacteria can produce certain qualitative metabolites through fermentation and metabolization. There may be a certain similarity between different strains of the same species, but the difficulty is how to quantify and optimize the metabolic expression of the strains. This is the right way for us to develop probiotics - with professional differentiation. From the commonality of the strains to the characteristics of the strains, from the characteristics of the strains to the guarantee of the process, the source technology barriers of the probiotics industry chain will be clearer.

5. BioGrowing's biotechnology and quality system safeguards the special strains such as Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18

From the perspective of the probiotics patent distribution, China has the largest number of patents for probiotics in the world. It is true that on the level of the bacterial species research, we have found a lot of opportunities for patent layout, but the critical technical issue is how to ensure more stable, efficient and optimal expression of the strain and how to quantify it.

5.1. BioGrowing's technological advantages in probiotic strains/applications:

ü Preparation technology for probiotic powder with high potency

ü Technology ensuring high stability during the freeze-drying process

ü Technology for high bioavailability probiotic powder

ü Preparation technology for allergen-free probiotic powder

ü Fermentation technology for substrate-induced high expression

ü Control technology ensuring high purity and low cross-contamination

ü Preparation technology based on the metabolic characteristics of the strains and on the precise formulation of the required products

ü Preparation technology ensuring high processing and storage stability

5.2. Improvement of the high-standard quality system and internal control system

Ø  The State Market Bureau issued three types of production licenses: lactic acid bacteria raw materials, lactic acid bacteria capsules (health food), solid beverages, etc.;

Ø  ISO9001, ISO22000 and other quality assurance systems

Ø  HACCP Certification

Ø  HALAL Certification

Ø  BRC GS Certification

Ø  US FDA and FFRM certified factory

Ø  US NSF-cGMP

Ø  Health Canada NHPD-FSRN certified factory

At present, Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 is also undergoing in-depth development around its characteristics and expression, and has been used in the clinical intervention treatment of some special diseases and in the development of special fermented products. We welcome friends who are interested in Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-G18 to discuss cooperation opportunities and jointly improve the specialized and differentiated effects of probiotics!