Recent studies have confirmed the effectiveness of postbiotic food products—derived from bacteria released during fermentation processes—in maintaining immune system balance, fighting or reducing infections, improving gastrointestinal functions, positively impacting the metabolism of intestinal microflora, as well as for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. The fields in which they can be used are therefore numerous, and in recent years, their use has increased exponentially.
I.T.P. SRL was among the first companies to strongly believe in the potential of these health-promoting microorganisms, which is why we have always promoted their use: from the food sector to nutraceuticals, from cosmetics to veterinary applications.
We are currently engaged in a new project in our laboratories focused on postbiotic functional foods, for which we would like to describe the objectives and production strategies in this case study.
Starting Situation and Final Objective
We have focused our efforts on developing new fermented functional foods, starting from foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, preferring these over those potentially responsible for allergies or intolerances.
The goal was to create postbiotic food products intended for the diets of individuals with altered or reduced pathological vulnerability, such as pregnant women, the elderly, children, and immunocompromised individuals.
Our commitment has focused on the need to have a food capable of having positive effects on the body and that is therefore:
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nutritious;
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digestible;
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easily absorbed.
Adopted Strategies
First, we assessed the feasibility of fermenting animal-based food matrices, essentially dairy products, and subsequently, plant-based food matrices such as cereal flours, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
Once we identified those of interest, we developed, at laboratory scale, the fermentation processes, after which the fermented products were analyzed from a microbiological, chemical, and physical point of view.
The strategies adopted allowed us to test our teamwork capabilities, assess our skills, and verify the quality and performance standards of our instruments. Special attention, for research purposes, was given to the analysis, development, and evolution of the following points:
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process optimization for parameters such as pH, temperature, carbon substrate, and stress conditions for the microorganism;
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evaluation of the best microbial reduction treatment, in order to obtain a functional matrix free of viable microorganisms (a postbiotic);
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efficient scale-up to pilot scale;
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in vitro tests to verify the biological effect of the fermented product;
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shelf-life analysis of the fermented products obtained at both laboratory and pilot scale;
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metabolite analysis using gold standard methods and the development of ad hoc analytical methods.
Results Obtained
The various fermented food matrices provided different results in terms of microbial growth and metabolites produced. The fermentation process was refined and optimized, selecting the best time/temperature treatment to reduce microbial concentration while limiting alterations to the matrix. An efficient scale-up to pilot scale was carried out, and in vitro tests demonstrated the importance of the process on the functional effect (limited entry of gliadin peptides into CaCo-2 cells for the process at controlled pH). Finally, the stability of the functionalized product was verified over time, both microbiologically and chemically.
Conclusions
The project involved the entire organization and is representative of all the services offered by I.T.P. SRL.
The results obtained have been exciting from every point of view, which is why our commitment is to continue on the path of innovation and research applied to the development of ever-new functional foods that meet the requirements we define as the four “S”s:
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healthy;
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wholesome;
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safe;
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sustainable.
We believe that postbiotics can fully fall into this category, and we hope that the scientific community, especially ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics), will further investigate and adequately define this field so as to establish its future development and application prospects.
