人们常说:“科技是很好的,当它能用在有益的地方时。”科学家们已把益生菌和健康这两个领域研究得很好了。最近发现的研究肠道微生物的新方法,以及关于益生菌影响健康的研究,都很引人注目。这些发现可能会极大地影响人类的健康和乳制品产业的发展。 益生菌是活的微生物,当达到适当的量时,就会对宿主健康有益。很多益生菌都生存和作用在消化道里,要研究它们的行为,本质上是要深入消化道里。 不过,聪明的研究者已找到解决方法。英国食品研究所开发了一套由电脑控制、机械模拟的胃消化系统。TNO研究院研发了一套技术,从猪的肠干细胞上生长最小内脏结构。这些技术可先作为测试食物成分(如益生菌)的第一步,接着再应用到长期和高昂的人体研究上。 最近,NIZO Food Research and Medimetrics开发了一种口服微电子胶囊技术,可从人体小肠内获取样本,来分析肠内微生物。科罗拉多州Centennial市乳品和食品培养技术公司的益生菌微生物顾问Mary Ellen Sanders 说到:“该技术可以说是将一缕阳光照到黑盒中,这个黑盒也就是小肠末梢和肠道近端。如果有效的话,它会非常有用。” 益生菌到消化道后如何影响健康,这一课题研究一直都在进行,到现在为止,FDA还没批准益生菌的健康声明,虽然结构功能组织已声称益生菌“有助于支持消化系统健康”等功能,但他们还没能提供适当的、真实的且不具误导性质的科学证据。 专家报告《世界肠胃组织全球指南:益生菌和益生元》里指出“通常情况下,关于益生菌强有力的临床证据是医生们使用益生菌来改善肠道健康和刺激免疫功能。”然而,报告中还提到,对于特殊的益生菌家族(或者是混合家族),数量到达一定程度时,没有更强或更好的证据来说明以下几点:
强壮的益生菌菌株能忍受一些处理和储存程序,这些程序对很多功能饮料来说是很重要的。其中一个是GanedenBC30(注册商标为凝结杆菌GBI-30, 6086),它是孢子形成的细菌,在处理过程中被迫进入休眠期。在食用后,它开始生长和繁殖。GanedenBC30并不新奇,不过它最近刚获得GRAS资格(一般认为食用是安全的)。 GanedenBC30能够经受烘烤、冷冻、沸腾、挤压的考验,且不需冷藏。在乳制品加工过程中,先将GanedenBC30加入,再进行HT/ST巴氏消毒。GanedenBC30已应用在80多个产品里,包括液体奶、酸奶、芝士、冻酸奶、冷冻乳品甜点、橙汁、咖啡以及茶。Cleveland 市Ganeden生物技术公司的副总裁Mike Bush认为,希腊酸奶为GanedenBC30提供了一个很好的机会,因为该益生菌能改善蛋白质的消化而不影响口感。 Bush说:“对于满足日常消费及生活品质的产品而言,我们认为它是比较理想的生物。有较好的临床数据表明,GanedenB30具有免疫和抗炎功能。” 乳制品加工促进创新 事实上,对使用益生菌的食品和饮料来说,乳制品产业极大地推动了它们的创新。据市场研究公司Mintel推测,由于推出大量的可匙取酸奶和可直饮酸奶或酸乳,乳制品将继续引领全球大量益生菌食品和饮料的发展。 乳制品是益生菌完美的宿主,因为它为益生菌提供了适宜的生存环境。
消费者很容易接受乳品和益生菌的组合,因为他们已经习惯了酸奶中的“有益菌”,因此他们喜欢在食品中添加益生菌。 “它非常新且很不一样。当其他益生菌在肠道里工作时,这个益生菌家族则在乳品中边繁殖边制造维生素K2。” Chr Hansen公司的资深科学家Mirjana Curic-Bawden解释到,“维生素K2是很重要的,它能让钙进入骨头中——我们的健康食品里通常没有钙,因为它存在于白脂肪中,如动物脂肪、黄油以及一些芝士如荷兰干酪和法国布里白乳酪。” Nu-trish Pro-K在年底应该可以购买到。什么是乳制品产业最有前途的益生菌研发领域呢?Sanders看到了益生菌的潜力,即对焦虑、新陈代谢综合症、心脏健康的积极作用。 有这么些案例:2012年版的《英国营养杂志》和《欧洲临床营养杂志》上发表的研究发现,食用含有罗氏乳酸杆菌NCIMB 30142的酸奶,可降低血清胆固醇。 “它们是第一个控制人体研究所得到的结果” Sanders说道,“所以我也被信服了。” 【原文】 Science is progressing on probiotics and healthYou know the saying: “Technology is great — when it works.” It’s been
working quite well to advance the field of probiotics and health. New
methods to study intestinal microbiota and recent research on
probiotics’ health effects are impressive. It’s exciting to consider
what these findings may signify for the health of humans and the dairy
industry.
Probiotics are live micro-organisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Many probiotics live and work in the gastrointestinal tract, so studying them in action is inherently invasive. But savvy researchers have found solutions. The UK Institute of Food Research created a computer-controlled, mechanical simulator of gastric digestion. TNO Research developed a technology that grows mini gut structures from pig intestinal stem cells. Such technologies can be used as a first step to test food components like probiotics before employing the more time-consuming and expensive human studies. Recently, NIZO Food Research and Medimetrics developed an orally administrated micro-electronic capsule technology that obtains samples from a human’s small intestine in order to analyze the gut microbiome. “Essentially, this technology helps shine light on the black box that is the distal small intestine and proximal bowel,” said Mary Ellen Sanders, probiotic microbiology consultant, Dairy & Food Culture Technologies, Centennial, Colo. “If it works, it should be very useful.” Getting probiotics to the gut What probiotics do for health once they reach the gut is an ongoing subject of study. To date, there are no Food and Drug Administration-authorized health claims for probiotics in the United States, although structure-function claims such as “helps support digestive health” can be used if they are adequately supported by sound science, are truthful and are not misleading. The expert report, “The World Gastroenterology Organisation Global Guidelines: Probiotics and Prebiotics,” concluded that, “In general, the strongest clinical evidence for probiotics is related to their use in improving gut health and stimulating immune function.” For particular probiotic strains (or particular mixtures of strains) in specific quantities, the report noted that there is “strong” or “good” evidence for:
Specific to dairy applications, there is good clinical data to support some positive health effects of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium delivered via yogurt, Sanders noted. Hardier probiotic strains can withstand the processing and storage conditions necessary to be used in a wide variety of functional foods. One is GanedenBC30 (the trademark name for Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086), a spore-forming bacteria that is forced into its dormant state through processing. After ingestion, it begins to germinate and proliferate. GanedenBC30 is not new, but it recently received GRAS status (generally recognized as safe). GanedenBC30 survives baking, freezing, boiling, extrusion and doesn’t require refrigeration. In dairy processing, it can be added before HT/ST pasteurization. It is used worldwide in 80 products, including fluid milk, yogurt, cheese, frozen yogurts, frozen dairy desserts, orange juice, coffee and tea. Mike Bush, vice president of Ganeden Biotech Inc., Cleveland, said he believes Greek yogurt is a great opportunity for GanedenBC30 because the probiotic improves the utilization of protein and doesn’t affect flavor. “Our opinion is that it’s the ideal organism for a daily-consumption, lifestyle product,” Bush said. “There’s good clinical data supporting GanedenB30’s immune and anti-inflammatory benefits.” Dairy processors driving innovation It is, in fact, the dairy industry that’s driving the majority of innovations in probiotic-containing foods and beverages. According to the market research firm Mintel, dairy products continue to lead the pack for the number of probiotic food and drink products launched worldwide, with the vast majority of launches being spoonable yogurt and drinkable yogurt/cultured milk. Dairy foods have the advantage of being the perfect host for probiotics because they provide a very suitable living environment:
The dairy/probiotic pairing is comfortable for consumers, too. Consumers are used to “good bacteria” residing in yogurt; therefore, they welcome the addition of probiotics. Chr Hansen Inc., Milwaukee, will soon debut a probiotic blend (called nu-trish Pro-K) made with Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris that produces vitamin K2. “It’s very new and different. While other probiotics work in the gut, this strain makes vitamin K2 while growing in milk,” explained Mirjana Curic-Bawden, senior scientist with Chr Hansen. “K2 is important — it invites calcium into bones — but it’s often missing from our [“healthy”] diets because it’s found in yellow fat such as animal fat, butter and some cheeses like Gouda and Brie.” Nu-trish Pro-K should be available by the end of this year. What are the most promising areas of probiotic R&D for the dairy industry? Sanders sees potential for probiotics’ positive impact on anxiety, metabolic syndrome and heart health. Case in point: Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition and the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012 found that consuming yogurt containing Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30142 may reduce serum cholesterol. “They’re the first well-controlled human studies to show this effect,” said Sanders, “and the first time that I’ve been convinced.” |
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