Combining probiotics with cranberry poses formulation challenges, most notably ensuring the bacteria survival throughout the product shelf-life in presence of cranberry. The survival of lactic bacteria is normally limited to a couple of months in the presence of cranberry powder, said Julie Rosenborg, business development manager at LHI.
The Cysbiotic-branded formulation is not the only product associating cranberry and probiotics, said Rosenborg, but it is the “first one to offer a guaranteed delivery of live bacteria (0.5 billion live bacteria) after 24 months storage at room temperature,” she said.
“So yes – this innovation is the first of its kind,” she added.
The combination is delivered in a finished product, like capsules and blisters, but supplement formulators may also have access to the powder and change the form of delivery. However, in this instance, the manufacturer would need to independently test the finished product to ensure the viability of the probiotics and the levels of proanthocyanidins (PACs), said Rosenborg.
The ingredient is a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Rosell-11 – a bacterial strain with good resistance to gastric acidity and bile and the ability to bind to intestinal cell lines, said the company – and Decas Botanical Synergies PACran whole cranberry powder. PACran recently received approval from the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) to support urinary health.
“It has been a great challenge to find a formula that could guarantee probiotics viability in presence of cranberry powder,” said Nadine Renard, technical manager for Lallemand. “It is only thanks to Lallemand’s expertise of live microorganisms and unique technology that we have managed to develop a product that is stable at room temperature for up to two years.”
The combination is considered a success, said Rosenborg, with the levels of interest “surprising us”, she said.
“We are now in the process of further investigating the effects and modes of action of this finished product,” said Rosenborg.
“At this point, we do not know if both ingredients work synergistically or independently, but available data so far suggest an additive effect since both ingredients exert different mechanisms of action.”
UTIs affect eight million people each year, mostly women, the elderly and infants, and results in $1.6bn (€1.3bn) in health care costs.