The strategic market consulting group Frost & Sullivan announces that Institut Rosell-Lallemand has been awarded the 2001 Market Engineering Technology Leadership Award for its new enteric coating technology, STAR™ (STomach Acid Resistance).
STAR™ consists of a completely natural protective water-based layer around the capsule to ensure a ten-fold increase in probiotic bacteria survivability in the gastrointestinal tract.
According to new market information from Frost & Sullivan, US Probiotics Market, this is a technology that allows manufacturers to include a lower concentration of probiotic micro-organisms per capsule.
The Canadian probiotics and yeast specialist Institut Rosell-Lallemand modified the enteric coating formulation from solvent-based, as commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry, to water based.
The new material is GMO free, ecologically friendly and applicable to any type of capsule.
It cannot be degraded under acidic conditions and ensures unaltered passage through the stomach before reaching the intestine, the place of choice for probiotic activity.
"In the probiotic dietary supplement industry, there is a false expectation of higher potencies from a larger number of cells packed per capsule.
Institut Rosell-Lallemand's enteric coating technology, STAR™, is a significant contribution to dietary supplement companies focused on probiotic bioavailability and effectiveness of their products," says Carlos Ayala, Frost & Sullivan industry analyst.
"Until now, regular capsules have been used to help protect probiotics from stomach stresses.
However, it is recommended to take them with or after a meal, which acts as a buffer against stomach acids and neutralises the stomach pH. Our enteric-coating technology, STAR™, prevents the solubilisation of capsules in the stomach and protects probiotics against acid shock, providing optimal colonisation in the gut.
It is really a unique feature for the probiotic dietary supplements market.
The key aspect to remember is that the innovation of STAR™ is Institut Rosell's ability to keep the probiotic bacteria alive and viable in the capsule, throughout the entire enteric-coating process," says Jean Leclerc, Sales Director for the Americas, Institut Rosell-Lallemand.