Under the new alliance, announced last week, the two companies plan to combine innovation efforts to develop pre- and probiotic ingredients for supplements, foods and beverages.
The partnership will capitalize on GTC Nutrition's scientific and technical experience in the field of prebiotic fiber, and Ganeden Biotech's experience in probiotics. The firms said this combined know-how will “accelerate the development and distribution of highly effective ingredient combinations and end-product development in support of digestive and immune health”.
Probiotics are ‘good’ bacteria that improve the balance of intestinal microflora. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that encourage the activity of probiotics. A combination of the two has been termed synbiotics, and is an area gathering increasing attention.
"By integrating our unique strengths, we will accelerate our business and growth opportunities by capitalizing on the unique opportunities and synergies that these innovative ingredients provide," said Patrick Smith, president of GTC Nutrition, which is a business unit of Corn Products International.
According to Ganeden, the partnership will also allow its branded probiotic GanedenBC30 to be used in a wider range of applications.
Durable probiotic
GanedenBC30, a patented strain (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), is a spore former, which means that the spore found in the probiotic cell survives harsh environments, even if the cell itself does not.
This makes the ingredient durable in conditions that other probiotics do not survive, such as processing at high temperatures, high heat and cold conditions. It is said to be able to survive gastric acidity, has a shelf-life of around two years and does not need refrigeration.
GanedenBC30 received GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in December 2007, and its technology and use are protected by 150 patents globally, both issued and pending.
Partnerships
"Partnering with an industry leader such as GTC Nutrition will enable us to broaden the applications of GanedenBC30 into more functional foods and beverages, nutraceuticals and animal health applications,” said Andrew Lefkowitz, Ganeden's President and CEO.
The partnership with GTC is not the only one that Ganedan has entered into in order to the reach of its probiotic ingredient.
In January this year, the company also teamed up with PL Thomas (PLT), whose president Paul Flowerman called GanedenBC30 a “revolutionary product”.
In November last year, Dutch firm DSM also identified potential in Ganeden’s ingredient capabilities, investing $12m in the firm in an effort to cement its presence in the fast-evolving area of nutrition.