Probiotic Fermented Foods:A scalable approach to promote gut health and improve nutrition

Locally produced probiotic fermented foods can be suitable for a range of appropriate, cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable approaches implemented at the household, community, and market levels

Therapeutic combinations and compositions for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (II)

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical combinations of at least one TNF inhibitor and riboflavin to treat patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or other inflammatory conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, lupus erythematous and multiple sclerosis). This invention also relates to additive and/or combinations of at least one TNF inhibitor and riboflavin. This invention is also related to a method for the treatment or prophylaxis of IBD, which method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of TNF inhibitor and riboflavin

Safe use of genetically modified lactic acid bacteria in food. Bridging the gap between consumers, green groups, and industry

Within the European Union (EU), the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production is not widely applied and accepted. In contrast to the United States of America, the current EU legislation limits the introduction of functional foods derived from GMOs that may bring a clear benefit to the consumer. Genetically modified lactic acid bacteria (GM-LAB) can be considered as a different class of GMOs, and the European Union is preparing regulations for the risk assessment of genetically modified microorganisms. Since these procedures are not yet implemented, the current risk assessment procedure is shared for GMOs derived from micro organisms, plants, or animals. At present, the use of organisms in food production that have uncontrolled genetic alterations made through random mutagenesis, is permitted, while similar applications with organisms that have controlled genetic alterations are not allowed. The current paper reviews the opportunities that genetically modified lactic acid bacteria may offer the food industry and the consumer. An objective risk profile is described for the use of GM-LAB in food production. To enhance the introduction of functional foods with proven health claims it is proposed to adapt the current safety assessment procedures for (GM)-LAB and suggestions are made for the related cost accountability. A qualified presumption of safety as proposed by SANCO (EU SANCO 2003), based on taxonomy and on the history of safe use of LAB applied in food, could in the near future be applied to any kind of LAB or GM-LAB provided that a series of modern profiling methods are used to verify the absence of unintended effects of altered LAB that may cause harm to the health of the consumer

Model selection reveals the butyrate-producing gut bacterium Coprococcus eutactus as predictor for language development in three-year-old rural Ugandan children

Introduction: The metabolic activity of the gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in the gut-brain axis through the effects of bacterial metabolites on brain function and development. In this study we investigated the association of gut microbiota composition with language development of 3-year-old rural Ugandan children. Methods: We studied the language ability in 139 children of 36 months in our controlled maternal education intervention trial to stimulate children’s growth and development. The dataset includes 1170 potential predictors, including anthropometric and cognitive parameters at 24 months, 542 composition parameters of the children’s gut microbiota at 24 months and 621 of these parameters at 36 months. We applied a novel computationally efficient version of the all-subsets regression methodology and identified predictors of language ability of 36-months-old children scored according to the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III). Results: The best three-term model, selected from more than 266 million models, includes the predictors Coprococcus eutactus at 24 months of age, Bifidobacterium at 36 months of age, and language development at 24 months. The top 20 four-term models, selected from more than 77 billion models, consistently include C. eutactus abundance at 24 months, while 14 of these models include the other two predictors as well. Mann–Whitney U tests suggest that the abundance of gut bacteria in language non-impaired children (n = 78) differs from that in language impaired children (n = 61). While anaerobic butyrate-producers, including C. eutactus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Holdemanella biformis, Roseburia hominis are less abundant, facultative anaerobic bacteria, including Granulicatella elegans, Escherichia/Shigella and Campylobacter coli, are more abundant in language impaired children. The overall predominance of oxygen tolerant species in the gut microbiota was slightly higher in the language impaired group than in the non-impaired group (P = 0.09). Conclusion: Application of the all-subsets regression methodology to microbiota data established a correlation between the relative abundance of the anaerobic butyrate-producing gut bacterium C. eutactus and language development in Ugandan children. We propose that the gut redox potential and the overall bacterial butyrate-producing capacity in the gut are important factors for language development.publishedVersio

Lactobacillus rhamnosus Probiotic Food as a Tool for Empowerment Across the Value Chain in Africa

Perhaps by serendipity, but Lactobacillus rhamnosus has emerged from the 1980s as the most researched probiotic species. The many attributes of the two main probiotic strains of the species, L. rhamnosus GG and GR-1, have made them suitable for applications to developing countries in Africa and beyond. Their use with a Streptococcus thermophilus starter strain C106, in the fermentation of milk, millet, and juices has provided a means to reach over 250,000 consumers of the first probiotic food on the continent. The social and economical implications for this translational research are significant, and especially pertinent for people living in poverty, with malnutrition and exposure to environmental toxins and infectious diseases including HIV and malaria. This example of probiotic applications illustrates the power of microbes in positively impacting the lives of women, men, and children, right across the food value chain

Adapted Bacteriophages for Treating Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most widespread microbial diseases and their economic impact on the society is substantial. The continuing increase of antibiotic resistance worldwide is worrying. As a consequence, well-tolerated, highly effective therapeutic alternatives are without delay needed. Although it has been demonstrated that bacteriophage therapy may be effective and safe for treating UTIs, the number of studied patients is low and there is a lack of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The present study has been designed as a two-phase prospective investigation: (1) bacteriophage adaptation, (2) treatment with the commercially available but adapted Pyo bacteriophage. The aim was to evaluate feasibility, tolerability, safety, and clinical/microbiological outcomes in a case series as a pilot for a double-blind RCT. In the first phase, patients planned for transurethral resection of the prostate were screened (n = 130) for UTIs and enrolled (n = 118) in the study when the titer of predefined uropathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis) in the urine culture was ≥104 colony forming units/mL. In vitro analysis showed a sensitivity for uropathogenic bacteria to Pyo bacteriophage of 41% (48/118) and adaptation cycles of Pyo bacteriophage enhanced its sensitivity to 75% (88/118). In the second phase, nine patients were treated with adapted Pyo bacteriophage and bacteria titer decreased (between 1 and 5 log) in six of the nine patients (67%). No bacteriophage-associated adverse events have been detected. The findings of our prospective two-phase study suggest that adapted bacteriophage therapy might be effective and safe for treating UTIs. Thus, well-designed RCTs are highly warranted to further define the role of this potentially revolutionizing treatment option

Fermented Food for Life: Stories of Inspiration, Struggle & Success

The Fermented Food for Life” project aims to improve food and nutrition security by increasing local production, distribution and consumption of health-promoting probiotic fermented yoghurt in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, targeting to reach 250,000 consumers in the three countries by its end in June 2018. A pro-poor value chain-based business model was identified as a common approach to achieve project’s main objective. In Uganda, over 100 production units of probiotic yoghurt are up and running across the whole country reaching at least 60,000 regular consumers. The project supported also the establishment of 58 production units in Tanzania and 37 in Kenya, producing in total around 14,000 litres of probiotic yoghurt per week. In Tanzania and Uganda, 56% of production units are owned by women, and 68% of all people involved in probiotic yoghurt production and sales are female. The project has also provided a unique opportunity for employment of rural youth involved in the distribution of yoghurt. Partners in project’s implementation include Heifer International, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, University of Western Ontario and Yoba for Life Foundation. The project is undertaken with the financial support of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), www.idrc.ca and the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), www.international.gc.ca Collected here are stories about the Fermented Food for Life project