Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are two genera of vegetative bacteria whose historic success in probiotic applications has made them a common ingredient in many final products. However, Bacillus, a spore-forming bacteria, is becoming increasingly more popular due to its stability in diverse applications and the new range of functionalities it offers. Exciting discoveries about Bacillus have opened a fast-growing area of the human health marketplace. Discover what makes this microorganism so powerful and how MDG can help you use Bacillus to achieve success.
What are the benefits of using Bacillus in probiotics?
Many of Bacillus’s advantages in probiotic products stem from its spore-forming nature. Forming spores allows Bacillus bacteria to maintain their efficacy and survive extreme environmental conditions that vegetative bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium may not be able to tolerate. This hardiness leads to a number of benefits, including:
- Greater stability: Because of its ability to form spores, Bacillus is highly stable, unlike Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. These two alternative, vegetative bacteria are non-spore-forming, so they typically need to go through an encapsulation process to reach the same level of stability, which can be expensive for probiotic manufacturers.
- Longer shelf life: With the stability of Bacillus, you can sell your product for longer without worrying about it losing effectiveness.1 On the other hand, vegetative, non-spore-forming bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus typically require a specific environment to maintain their efficacy, and it could be costly to create the right conditions for them in a storage or retail environment.
- Better viability through the gut: When Bacillus is in spore form, it can survive the low-pH, high-heat environment of the stomach, remaining detectable and effective.2 Bacillus also germinate efficiently in the upper small intestine, allowing ample time for them to have an effect during the remaining passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Conversely, some species of Bifidobacterium have been shown to become undetectable in stomach acid after just one hour,3 while another study evaluating certain Lactobacillus species’ ability to survive in environments like the stomach found that the tested populations experienced a 73%–100% decrease in count.4
- Wider range of applications/delivery methods: Depending on your chosen application, the Bacillus in your final formulation may need to survive harsh production processes that usually result in significant count losses for vegetative bacteria. For example, manufacturing a gummy probiotic necessitates putting the product through extreme heat and cold in quick succession. Bacillus spores are able to survive this process and maintain their effectiveness as a probiotic for a significant amount of time after production is complete.5
Increase Your Success in Probiotics with MDG
All of these advantages position Bacillus as a fast-growing, high-performing ingredient in the probiotic market, and at MDG, we are ready to help you grow your product portfolio and reach your goals. As expert innovators in Bacillus-based ingredients and products, you can count on us to remain agile and support your success as the human health marketplace grows and changes. Interested in learning more about how we can get you where you want to go? Contact us today and start your Bacillus-based probiotic journey!
MDG is the probiotic provider that helps you differentiate faster without the added risk of investing your own resources in the development process.
References
- Ramlucken, U., Ramchuran, S. O., Moonsamy, G., van Rensburg, C. J., Thantsha, M. S., & Lalloo, R. (2021). Production and stability of a multi-strain Bacillus based probiotic product for commercial use in poultry. Biotechnology Reports (Amst.), 29, e00575. doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2020.e00575
- Golnari, M., Bahrami, N., Milanian, Z., Khorasgani, M. R., Asadollahi, M. A., Shafiei, R., & Fatemi, S. S-A. (2024). Isolation and characterization of novel Bacillus strains with superior probiotic potential: Comparative analysis and safety evaluation. Scientific Reports, 14, Article 1457. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51823-z
- Han, S., Lu, Y., Xie, J., Fei, Y., Zheng, G., Wang, Z., Liu, J., Lv, L., Ling, Z., Berglund, B., Yao, M., & Li, L. (2021). Probiotic gastrointestinal transit and colonization after oral administration: A long journey. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 11, Article 609722. doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.609722
- Puspawati, N., & Arihantana, M. I. H. (2016) Viability of lactic acid bacteria isolated from kombucha tea against low pH and bile salt. Scientific Journal of Food Technology, 3(1), 18–25.
- Kahraman, B., Korkmaz, K., Daştan, D., Toker, O. S., Dertli, E., & Arici, M. (2023). Production and characterization of probiotic jelly candy containing Bacillus Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 17, 5864–5873. doi.org/10.1007/s11694-023-02076-3
