COMPARISON OF DUAL COATED (DUOLAC™) AND UNCOATED LACTIC ACID BACTERIA FROM POTENTIAL PROBIOTICS

Probiotics do not naturally have a high stability and shelf life because they are living microorganisms. In an effort to maximise their survival, we have developed new dual coating LAB, trademarked as Duolac. This study aims to compare the probiotic effects of dual coated LAB and uncoated LAB, through in vivo and in vitro testing. Groups of SD rats were orally administered saline (as a control group), Duo/ac or uncoated LAB meal of 1x10(9) CPU per day for four weeks. We collected fecal samples to investigate the inhibition of harmful enzyme activity. At the end of the observation period, samples of organs were collected to determine hematological parameters and histological analysis in vivo. In order to assay the impact of Duo/ac on immunological function, we assessed tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) activity and nitric oxide (NO) production in the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line in vitro. In the safety study, blood biochemistry measurements and organ weight were similar and there was no observed difference in morbidity between the Duo/ac and uncoated LAB groups. The activities of hazardous enzymes were dramatically decreased in the Duo/ac group compared to the uncoated LAB group. Duo/ac efficiently produced TNF-alpha and NO in the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line with LPS as standard. Thus, the results suggest that dual coated LAB can be used as functional probiotic for improving microbial balance in the intestinal tract and systemic immunity in humans. Biotechnol. & Biotechnol. Eq. 2011, 25(3), 2489-2493