Pharmachem enters US probiotics market
To begin with, Probiotical will supply 10-15 of its key clinically-backed strains to Pharmachem and the two companies will work closely together on formulation to develop prototypes and meet client requests. Other strains from Probiotical may be utilized at a later date.
The companies said they were working on a strain that could deliver two-year stability at 25 degrees centigrade.
Pharmachem business development manager, Gregory Bonfilio, said his company had chosen to work with Probiotical because of the strength of its clinical backing and the fact its strains were allergen-free.
“They have very strong research and development, clinical studies, characterization,” Bonfilio said. “They also have a number of prebiotic/probiotic combination formulas that have clinical backing and we expect these will appeal to some of our existing dietary supplement customers and potential food customers.”
Pharmachem said it would target the dietary supplements industry first, with foods and beverages following later.
Probiotical research work into non-gut health and immunity applications – such as the ability of the microbes to speed the absorption of vitamins and minerals in supplement complexes – also appealed to Pharmachem.
One study had shown a particular strain could assist the body to absorb folic acid.
“We will work closely with Probiotical to develop products and prototypes and have made some progress on a confrectionery delivery system similar to a ‘Smartie’,” he said.
He also praised Probiotical for the strictly characterised nature of its probiotics – something that is not always the case, he said, as some suppliers and manufacturers tend to adopt a ‘one-size-fits-all’ which does little justice to the plethora of probiotic strains and the manner in which they function in the body.
“This is key to us because the regulatory scene is not strict here in the US and so it is up to industry to ensure the ingredients are being formulated and marketed properly,” Bonfilio said. “But thanks to the work of companies like Dannon the market is becoming more sophisticated. They have been very aggressive and moved into new areas.”
Probiotical says it is unique among probiotic suppliers as it is the only one to hold a global patent for the removal of “every type of allergen”, as Probiotical sales manager, Georio Cerana, puts it.
“It doesn’t add much to the cost of the ingredient,” he said.
Now that Pharmachem is a probiotics supplier, it said it would be joining the International Probiotics Association (IPA), which recently moved its head offices to Switzerland.
