IFF—a leading global player in the health and wellbeing industry—today reveals it has achieved the successful production of a strict anaerobic ‘next generation’ probiotic strain at industrial scale. The remarkable milestone demonstrates IFF’s unique capabilities in fermentation, downstream processing and formulation in this space. IFF’s advancement in identifying new microbiome solutions and establishing safe and efficient production at industrial scale will ultimately support commercially viable innovation in the dietary supplement market in years to come.
Powered by its deep understanding of probiotics and sophisticated technologies, the company enters the arena as a prominent manufacturer of a newly discovered, proprietary gram-negative Akkermansia species from lab to pilot to industrial scale, which have been applied to multiple strict anaerobic strains at the food-grade manufacturing and R&D site at Dangé-Saint-Romain.
Scientific research has shown that ‘next generation’ probiotics can improve immunity, insulin sensitivity and gut barrier function1,2. Until now though, progress has been slow due to the challenges associated with producing ‘next generation’ probiotics at scale – linked to their complex and specific nutritional requirements.
We’ve made this breakthrough achievement thanks to our cutting-edge process development capabilities—which encompass small-scale, high-throughput and high-information tools—paired with our large-scale manufacturing skills and deep investments in our teams, facilities and certifications,
said Sebastian Stahl, director for Process R&D at IFF.
Not only does the successful production of Akkermansia at industrial scale demonstrate that we have the know-how and technologies to identify promising microbiome solutions, but we’re also experts at establishing their safe and efficient production.
The production of a ‘next generation’ probiotic at scale is another cornerstone of IFF’s strategy to refresh and deliver microbiome-science-based solutions through a mixture of strategic partnerships and investments in research and development and builds on the company’s existing leadership in the areas of probiotics, prebiotics and botanical extracts.
We are proud of this milestone in IFF’s history, and we are confident in our ability to commercialize our extensive microbiome pipeline, comprising in-house developments, as well as projects with external partners or customers,
said Sebastien Guery, vice president, Health, IFF.