Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856, branded as LactoSpore® is L(+) lactic acid-producing microbial preparation, a shelf-stable probiotic. LactoSpore® was found to be safe and well tolerated by healthy individuals when taken orally in a double-blind, placebo-controlled 30-day supplementation study.
Gut microbiome, probiotics and their importance
Gut microbiome comprises of many symbiotic microorganisms residing on the gastrointestinal lining of the human gut. These microorganisms have an evolutionary association with humans and developed a friendly interactive system.
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Probiotics are live, beneficial microorganisms that support the natural balance of the gut microbiome, which are the community of microbes that live in the digestive tract. When taken regularly, probiotics can help maintain a healthy gut environment and support everyday digestive function, including nutrient absorption and regularity.
Probiotics also create helpful byproducts during digestion, such as short-chain fatty acids and certain vitamins. These compounds can support normal immune and metabolic function. Because the gut and nervous system communicate through nerves, hormones, and immune signaling (often called the gut-brain connection), a healthy microbiome may also play a role in overall wellness.
Modern lifestyle factors such as highly processed diets, excess alcohol, smoking, and long-term use of certain medications can disrupt the natural balance of the gut microbiome. Supporting and replenishing beneficial gut bacteria through diet and probiotic supplementation can be a simple way to help maintain digestive and overall wellness.
Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 – Health benefits
Out of the many probiotics that are known, Lactic acid bacteria, especially the rod-shaped Bacillus coagulans, have a friendly association with the human gut. This probiotic bacterium is a member of the normal microbial ecosystem in the intestinal tract. It seems to play a crucial role in maintaining the stability and diversity of the gut microbiome. Also, Bacillus coagulans has a unique property of producing spores during its life cycle, not found in any other lactic acid-producing bacteria.
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LactoSpore® is one such probiotic from Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856, being a spore forming bacteria, stable during processing, packaging, and storage. The product is standardized to provide a maximum number of active spores to help in proper colonization of the bacteria inside the human intestine. LactoSpore® is clinically validated for its health benefits in human subjects.
Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 in functional foods
A number of microorganisms from different groups (e.g., Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus) have been evaluated for their functional use. As demand for probiotics has grown, so has the range of delivery systems expanded into more types of functional foods. However, most of them lose the viability during the manufacturing and storage of functional food (baked food, beverages, fruit preserves) due to either high temperature or other manufacturing conditions inhospitable to many of these live bacteria. Hence, these probiotics require encapsulation via special processes to retain their viability during manufacturing, storage, and exposure to gastric acid and bile. They also require special handling during manufacturing, transportation and storage, rendering them vulnerable to degredation in viability. However, the spore-forming ability of Bacillus coagulans helps it to survive at high and low temperature and to show resistance against the harsh human gastric environment, which enables delivery of the probiotic benefits under a wide range of conditions and delivery systems.
In a recent study, the effect of manufacturing process and storage conditions of baked food, beverages, and fruit preserves on the viability of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 was evaluated. Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 was found to be stable during extremes: both baking and storage under frozen conditions. In general, this remarkable resistance to degredation during processing of food and supplementation formulations allows the use of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 in a variety of processed foods, such as juices, gummies, coffee, tea, confectionary, and vegetable oils.