Ritual debuts daily three-in-one biotic

02-May-2022 - Last updated on 02-May-2022 at 16:36 GMT

Image courtesy of Ritual

Synbiotic+ is a prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic all rolled into one capsule.

Ritual’s most recent addition to their portfolio is Synbiotic+, a daily three-in-one supplement designed to help support gut, digestive and immune health.

The product is made with Deerland’s patented prebiotic, PreforPro, which targets bad bacteria while promoting good bacteria growth inside the gut. Two common probiotic strains - Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis BB-12 (BB-12) are also included to provide that good bacteria to the gut and relieve mild digestive discomforts. The postbiotic works to support the gut barrier by helping to prevent leaky gut.

The trifecta is housed with 11B CFUs inside a delayed-release capsule. The delayed release technology is made of hypromellose/gellan gum, designed to dissolve later and help reach the colon–not the stomach.

Synbiotic+’s bottle is made with moisture-controlled technology to protect probiotic strains and does not require refrigeration and is' Made Traceable,' meaning the supplier of each labeled ingredient can be traced down to the location of the final place of manufacturing.

Years in the making

“Like so many of us, after having three kids and dealing with the stress of life, I’ve had digestive struggles that at times were confidence crushing. But because the gut microbiome was such a new frontier, I felt like the products out there could be too experimental on my body,” Kat Schneider, Founder and CEO of Ritual told NutraIngredients-USA.

“I challenged our team to create something that upheld the same standards we rigorously pursued with our flagship multivitamin. Traceable and trustworthy - with the dosages, suppliers and corresponding clinical studies. After four years of development and testing, we’re beyond proud to debut Synbiotic+, a 3-in-1 traceable biotic with 11B CFUs of probiotics for digestive support, with two of the world’s most clinically studied strains, LGG and BB-12,” she added.

Formulation

Mastaneh Sharafi, PhD, RD, Vice President of Scientific and Clinical Affairs at Ritual, welcomed the challenge. “We were dealing with live microorganisms which can add challenges to product stability. Water activity and temperature were also crucial factors, especially since our label quantity indicates viable amount by the end of shelf-life rather than at the time of manufacturing. We addressed it through using moisture-controlled packaging technology designed to help with storage conditions,” said Sharafi. “Another difficulty for formulation was identifying a prebiotic that could fit in a capsule at a human clinical study dosage. Some Synbiotic products on the market do not offer their prebiotic at a clinical-backed dosage. We reviewed a variety of components with prebiotic properties and specifically selected PreforPro as it was feasible to use in a capsule design without compromising the clinical-backed dosage.”

She added that supplementation with butyrate has been traditionally difficult to formulate with because of its unpleasant taste and a strong odor. Ritual Synbiotic+ uses a patented form of butyrate called CoreBiome Tributyrin, which Sharafi said does not have an unpleasant taste or smell.

The science

Sharafi explained that the company has completed two in-vitro studies to assess the performance and behavior of Synbiotic+.

“In the first study, we tested our capsule technology using a SHIME model, a scientifically advanced model representing the physiological conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In our SHIME study, the majority of probiotics survived transit through the stomach and small intestine, to be delivered to the colon in a viable form,” said Sharafi. “In the second study, also conducted in partnership with ProDigest (one of the world’s leading experts in in vitro simulations of the GI tract), we measured the physiological changes in a colon model that were associated with Synbiotic+. Not only were the ingredients in Synbiotic+ shown to work better together to support production of butyrate (a major source of energy for the cells that line the colon) in vitro, but Synbiotic+ was also shown to significantly increase the growth of beneficial bacteria along with microbial diversity.”

She added that the results of both studies were accepted to be presented at American Society of Nutrition’s conference, Nutrition 2022 and will be published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition (CDN).

Are all 3 necessary?

Sharafi told us to think of the gut like a garden. “Prebiotics are like elements that help plants grow. In some cases, representing the soil, sun and water. In our case, they are like gardeners cutting back the weeds and creating space for new growth. Probiotics are like plants that grow and bloom. Postbiotics are like the fruit that nourish and support a vibrant ecosystem,” Sharafi said. “We believe the future of gut health is beyond just offering probiotics and we should also pay attention to other recently discovered biotics (i.e. prebiotics and postbiotics) as they have different mechanisms to help support host health.”