An example is Madhya Pradesh-based Fermland Bio, which was showcasing at Vitafoods Asia for the first time.
Specializing in Lactiplantibacillus and Bifidobacterium strains, the company seeks to stand out from the competition by working beyond spore-forming strains, which Indian probiotic suppliers tend to focus on.
Founded in 2010, the company spent a decade on research and development before commercializing its strains in 2022.
“Fermland Bio was founded with the vision of developing indigenous probiotic technologies in India, using microbial cultures sourced and characterized from natural sources,” said Dr. Swati Misra, chief marketing officer. “Over the years, we have built a culture bank of more than 5,000 cultures, with expertise in strain screening, characterisation and process development.”
Of the 5,000 cultures, the company has commercialized nearly 40 strains, including those from Lactiplantibacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Saccharomyces and Akkermansia, in addition to the spore-forming Bacillus species.
In fact, the company has challenged itself by working on vegetative cultures and not just spore-forming cultures, which most Indian probiotic firms have tended to focus on.
“In India, spore-forming Bacillus cultures have traditionally received greater attention because of their robustness and stability, while vegetative cultures are more sensitive to environmental conditions,” said Dr. Swati.
Vegetative cultures, being temperature-sensitive, face the challenge of surviving and remaining viable in India’s hot climate, which is a key reason why most Indian companies have focused on spore-forming cultures, she explained.
Tech for preserving vegetative cultures
Still, the company has been determined to work with vegetative cultures as they could deliver a wider spectrum of health benefits.
“We saw this as a technical opportunity and focused on developing processes to maintain their viability, quality and stability, particularly through high-cell-density cultivation and advanced stabilization technologies,” she said. “Our objective is to make vegetative cultures suitable for specialized applications and international markets.”
For instance, its commercialized strains such as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FLB031, Lactiplantibacillus rhamnosus FLB036 and Lactiplantibacillus acidophilus FLB037 are said to provide benefits across seven areas, namely digestive, immune, mental, oral, women’s, kids’ and skin health.
On the other hand, its Bifidobacterium strains, such as Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum FLB051, Bifidobacterium breve FLB051 and Bifidobacterium animalis subs. lactis FLB057 are positioned for digestive, immune, mental, kids and skin health purposes.
In contrast, spore-forming strains are associated mainly with digestive and immune health benefits.
Having a bank of probiotics that provide different health benefits could also better fulfill market demand across different categories and needs, including dietary supplements, foods, cosmetics and animal and pet health.
So far, the company has completed preclinical animal studies, as well as safety and mechanistic / pathway analysis of its probiotic strains.
It is also planning human clinical studies on strains such as Saccharomyces boulardii FLB081 and its potential benefits for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. It is also studying the benefits of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FLB031 for blood lipid profile and weight management.
India’s diversity allows for robust probiotics and testing
Ahmedabad-based Meteoric Biopharmaceuticals, on the other hand, believes India’s diverse population could support robust research and development, which the company believes is an advantage for Indian probiotic suppliers.
“For Indian microbiome companies, the advantage lies in their supply chain quality and the ability for robust clinical trials,” said Jayesh Bhagia, manager – business development. “India is a huge, diverse country with people from different demographics, and almost all states have their own climatic conditions. When we do clinical trials in India, you will be able to test the product among diverse populations.”
The ability to gather data from diverse population groups would also allow companies to formulate better products, he added.
Last year, the company, together with contract research organization NovoBliss Research, completed a 30-day open-label, single-arm, interventional proof-of-science study on its women’s health probiotic blend MetSheFlora on females with mild to moderate bacterial vaginosis.
Founded in 2006, the company’s largest portfolio is its enzyme business, followed by probiotics. Its other portfolios include cosmetics ingredients and herbal extracts. Aside from India, it has established distribution offices in the US and Vietnam.
Key showcases
Attending Vitafoods Asia for the third time this year, one of Meoteoric Biopharmaceutical’s main innovation showcases is MetSheFlora-Pro – a blend of 13 proprietary probiotic strains for women’s health, specifically for supporting vaginal flora balance and urinary tract health.
Examples of the strains used include Lactiplantibacillus acidophilus MBLAM3, Lactiplantibacillus johnsonii MBLJM69 and Lactiplantibacillus reuteri MBLREM24.
Its other key showcases include MetProUltima, which also consists of 13 probiotic strains for supporting healthy gut flora, digestion and immunity, as well as MetBacitrio – a blend of three Bacillus strains for supporting gut health amongst athletes.
Specifically, the blend consists of Bacillus coagulans MBBCM9, Bacillus subtilis MBBSM12 and Bacillus clausii MBBCLM18 for supporting the digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as muscle soreness recovery.
“At the show, we also observed that customers are interested in probiotics for mental health; they are looking for mind-booster solutions, as well as probiotics for supporting the lungs due to air pollution concerns. These insights would allow us to look into proper innovations and launch relevant solutions,” he said, adding that women’s health was also one of the popular benefit areas among show visitors.
As for Fermland Bio, one of its showcases at Vitafoods Asia was its range of six psychobiotic strains, including Lactiplantibacillus plantarum FLB031, Limosilactobacillus fermentum FLB035 and Bifidobacterium longum FLB051.
“Psychobiotics represent an emerging area of probiotics focused on the gut–brain axis and specific functional applications. We see the industry moving from generic probiotic concepts towards strain-specific cultures with defined functional characteristics,” said Dr. Swati. “At Vitafoods, psychobiotics are one of our key showcases, alongside vegetative probiotics, postbiotics, synbiotics and advanced fermentation technologies.”
At the show, the company also noticed a strong interest among tradeshow visitors in probiotics for women’s health, vaginal and skin health.
“Our focus is on developing science-driven, application-specific solutions and collaborating with international partners on strain selection, formulation, stability and scale-up,” she said.
