Direction and New Concept in Probiotics R&D

The association of lactic acid bacteria in human health has been investigated from early 1900s. The term of probiotics was defined in 1953 and various strains (Lacto-bacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus etc) have been isolating with diverse beneficial effects on human health. Over the century, the concept of traditional probiotics was based on observation of natural properties to restore healthy condition within different human ecosystems (intestine, skin etc) following by development of processing optimization for the stability of bacteria. Nowadays, the aim of probiotics for human health has been moving from gut stabilization towards expanded concept of pharmabiotics like as controlling disease (e.g. obesity, immune system, psychiatric stabilization etc). Along with the expansion, scientists and industry still remained to investigate reliability of efficacy by consumption of probiotics. In recent, probiotics and bacteriophage cocktails have been commercialized in the US market. The cocktails consist of several probiotic strains with four phages targeting pathogenic E. coli. The phages induce reduction of population in E.coli and Clostridium perfringens while prevalence of Eubacterium increased in a gut to 4 – 5 times prior to consumption. Also, immunological stabilization was observed by consumption ‘probiotics with phage’. Now, the probiotic R&D is moving towards pharmabiotics, and additional technologies in next-generation probiotics and prebiotics are actively investigating worldwide.