Immunity: what the stable probiotic LifeinU™ BSCU1 can do

Immunity has become a major concern in modern life. In a webinar organized by Gnosis by Lesaffre, Amélie Decherf, Application Team Leader, and Julie Lemahieu, Global Market Manager, discussed the immune health market trends and highlighted the clinical evidence of the probiotic LifeinU™ BSCU1 for supporting natural defenses.

Immune Health Supplement Market: global trends

Immunity care has become a vital part of today’s hectic lifestyle, as consumers are increasingly concerned about their health. Today’s time-saving consumers, including those following healthy, balanced diets, are taking the support of nutritional supplements. Consumers across the world are feeling the need to support their immune systems, in order to avoid the unpleasant outcomes of infectious diseases. 

With the current COVID-19 situation, 36 % of Americans have already reported an increase in their consumption of dietary supplements. “Nevertheless, the immune market was already on the rise before 2020, and products launched with an immune health claim in dietary supplements and functional food have increased by 12%,” explained Julie Lemahieu, Global Market Manager at Gnosis by Lesaffre.

Looking worldwide, we can see that in Asia functional foods focus more on immune beverages, vitamins, minerals, and standard plant extracts. In North America and Europe, immunity supplement markets are mainly dominated by vitamins and minerals. The immunity market is also strongly connected to probiotics, which are among the top key ingredients with established immunity benefits. But what are the main challenges for probiotics?

Mainly the lack of stability of most probiotics, difficulties in incorporating them into food matrices and the shelf life of finished products. Gnosis by Lesaffre has developed a unique solution for the immunity market, based on the probiotic Bacillus subtilis: LifeinU™ BSCU1, which has exceptional stability, good resistance to various industrial processes and proven efficacy.

LifeinU™ BSCU1: a highly stable probiotic for functional foods and supplements

LifeinU™ BSCU1 is a raw material, stable for 24 months in its original packaging, even in extreme conditions, explains Amélie Decherf, Applications & Portfolio Management Team Leader at Gnosis by Lesaffre. 

So, it can be exported easily. It is suitable for dietary supplements, can be formulated in capsules, sticks and sachets and is compatible with commonly used carriers. 

The stability of LifeinU™ BSCU1 was also tested in multiple dietary supplement packagings. In all of them, the product was stable for 24 months at 25°C/60% RH and even at 30°C/75% RH. Discover our wide range of effective solutions dedicated to immunity.

An efficacy supported by a clinical study

The efficacy of LifeinU™ BSCU1 is supported by a clinical study published in Immunity & Ageing (1). 

This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study, conducted in collaboration with Professor Philippe Marteau (Head of Gastroenterology at Saint Antoine Hospital, Paris, France), assessed the effect of LifeinU™ BSCU1 on immune stimulation and resistance to common winter infections. 

The results show that the probiotic reduced the frequency of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections by 45% in comparison with a placebo. Furthermore, the supplementation was associated with an increase in secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in the intestine (by 87%) and in the saliva (by 45%). sIgA is the most abundant antibody in the immune system and is the body’s first line of defense.

 We can conclude that LifeinU™ BSCU1 is a highly stable probiotic suitable for dietary supplements and functional food, and that the science behind it shows that it may be a safe effective way to support immune health. Bring the benefits of LifeinU™ BSCU1 to your application. Let’s connect!