Science shorts: Probiotics encapsulation tech, HMObiotics, curcumin and cognitive health

More solutions, more strains: Singapore team behind probiotic survival solution to expand investigations​

Singapore researchers who have successfully increased the survival rate of probiotics using sucrose and alginate are now turning their attention to the potential protective abilities of vitamin C and other sugars, as well as examining a broader range of probiotic strains.

The team at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), recently assessed the effects of the sucrose and alginate encapsulation formula on the survival rate of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus ​GG (LGG).

Results showed that sucrose and alginate – which is cross linked with calcium – yielded higher viability counts of LGG, with over 10bn CFU surviving.

Currying favour: Monthly consumption of curcumin-rich food aids cognitive health in the elderly – Singapore longitudinal study​

Consuming curcumin-rich curry at least once every month is enough to show better cognitive performance among the elderly in Singapore, according to a 4.5-year longitudinal study.

The study, conducted by researchers from National University of Singapore, National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, and Geriatric Education and Research Institute, had assessed the data of over 2,700 seniors aged 55 and above.  

Published in Nutrients, ​the results showed that that simply consuming curcumin-rich curry once per month​ was enough to show better cognitive performance.

“HMObiotics”: H&H deepens research on specific HMOs, probiotic pairings for health benefits​

Health and Happiness (H&H Group) is pioneering research on how the right pairings of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and probiotics – a novel category known as ‘HMObiotics’ – could bring about health benefits for consumers across different age groups.

‘HMObiotics’ is defined as the combination of HMOs and probiotics that interact directly or indirectly in “a specific way”​ to confer or enhanced health benefits, Dr. Jonathan Lane, senior manager, global research at H&H Group told NutraIngredients-Asia.​

Recently, the Hong Kong stock exchange-listed firm completed a study which showed how the combination of four Bifidobacterium ​strains could better utilise HMOs and produce beneficial metabolites through specific pathways.

Probiotics may promote weight gain, shorten hospital stay in preterm infants with feeding intolerances – meta-analysis​​

Preterm infants with feeding intolerances (FI) may gain more weight and spend less time in hospital if they are given probiotics.

This is according to a meta-analysis published in the journal Translational Pediatrics​.

The meta-analysis showed significant improvements, especially in preterm infants’ total intestinal feeding time and weight gain when given probiotic supplementation. These improvements were reported in six out of the nine studies assessed.

Vitamin D supplementation may help prevent seasonal flu infection in children – Taiwanese RCT​

Vitamin D supplementation may have a small, preventative effect against influenza infection in children, according to an RCT conducted by a team of Taiwanese researchers.

In the RCT, the participants were given a vitamin D supplementation of 2,000 IUs dissolved in coconut oil or a placebo consisting of 5 millilitres of purified coconut oil over one month.

Based on those findings, it can be deduced that a vitamin D supplementation of 2,000 IUs daily for one month may offer a positive but not significant preventative effect against influenza infection. Findings were published in the Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection​.