Microbiome science has come a long way over the past decade. Researchers now know that this complex network of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeast not only supports gut health—it plays a crucial role in almost every facet of well-being. “We now understand that the microbiome has a direct influence on digestion, anxiety, mood, immune function, and even hormonal balance,” notes Shaheen Majeed, Global Managing Director & CEO, Sabinsa. “Gut microbiome support has shown benefits in gastrointestinal conditions, atopic eczema, allergies, respiratory tract infections, obesity, metabolic disease/type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular, cognitive, mental health, bone health, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), to name a few. The gut microbiome also has an influence on the skin, and oral microbiome and probiotics have been effective in treating dermatological conditions and burn wounds.”
Consumer awareness of the impact of the microbiome on health is quickly catching up with the research, leading more people to seek out supplement support. This has sent sales of microbiome supplements soaring. The research firm Markets and Markets posits that the global microbiome market will reach $1.7 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 36.1%.
One factor driving this growth is the wide range of benefits consumers believe nourishing their microbiome can deliver, says Alexis Collins, Director of Product & Brand Strategy, Stratum Nutrition. She notes that the top five benefits consumers globally associate with the support of a healthy gut microbiome, according to FMCG Gurus’ Top Ten Trends for 2024, are:
- Improved digestive health: 79%
- Improved immune health: 74%
- Reduced vulnerability to long-term health problems: 71%
- Reduced vulnerability to day-to-day illnesses such as colds and virus: 59%
- Improved heart health: 56%.
“Thanks to continued research, there is a growing number of the global population that associates more than just digestive health and immune health with the microbiome,” Collins continues. Four benefits global consumers associate a healthy microbiome with aside from digestive and immune health:
- Mental wellbeing: 37%
- Improved energy: 42%
- Improved cognitive performance: 35%
- Improved stress levels: 30%
Scientists are still uncovering what it takes to cultivate a flourishing microbiome. “Recent research by Stanford Medicine demonstrated that the microbiome is uniquely individualized and can be influenced by our genetics and diet. It also found several correlations between the microbiome and health,” asserts Rob Brewster, President, Ingredients by Nature. “For example, those with type-2 diabetes showed a less stable and less diverse microbiome. The study also found that the microbiome temporarily changed when an individual had a cold or the flu.”
Certain lifestyle factors like consuming processed foods, stress, and antibiotic use, can allow bad bacteria to take root in the gut and crowd out beneficial bacteria, creating a state of dysbiosis. But supplying the microbiome with beneficial bacteria (aka probiotics) and nutritional support like prebiotic fiber can help bring the microbiome back into balance, explains Andy Hewitt, Marketing Manager, Proliant Health & Biologicals. “We know that achieving gut homeostasis requires a multifaceted protocol, utilizing tools like prebiotics and probiotics, but also removing the bad bacteria with immunoglobulins like Immulnolin to help get your gut to a place where it can thrive.”
That’s why while probiotics remain a mainstay of the microbiome category, consumers are actively researching all types of gut-supporting ingredients, including prebiotics, postbiotics, and synbiotics, points out Auke Zeilstra, Managing Director, North America at FrieslandCampina Ingredients. “Prebiotics, in particular, have emerged as a next generation solution for gut health. Helping to foster growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in the gut, they offer numerous potential health benefits. With increasing scientific interest and research, consumer awareness of prebiotics is expected to flourish. And the market data speaks for itself. According to an FMCG Gurus report, awareness is highest for probiotics (84%), but it is growing for prebiotics (57%) and although lower still for postbiotics, interest is there (15%).”
Natural health retailers are in a sweet spot to help educate customers on how best to nourish their microbiome and guide them toward the right products to meet specific health needs such as mood, digestion, and immune support. “There is an increase in targeted supplements based not only on specific health needs but also key demographic groups,” says Jay Levy, Director of Sales, Wakunaga of America. “For example, we offer our Kyo-Dophilus Cran+ Probiotic to target urinary health. We also offer Kyo-Dophilus Kids Probiotic and Kyo-Dophilus Fifty+ Probiotic aimed at the specific needs of different age demographics.”
Sports nutrition is another promising frontier to begin stocking in the microbiome space. “A field being investigated is the influence of the gut microbiome on muscle health – particularly the connection between gut health and muscle function in athletes. Although this research is relatively new, findings so far have been promising, showing that muscle recovery can be supported through microbiota intervention,” says Zeilstra. “That’s why we launched Biotis Fermentis. This first-of-its-kind solution combines the benefits of whey protein, prebiotics and probiotics through fermentation, creating a unique solution that supports both athletic performance and holistic health via the gut-muscle axis.”
There’s also potential for double-duty products that include other health-promoting ingredients, like adaptogens, says Mary Phillips, Marketing Director, Marketing Director for Dietary Supplements, dsm-firmenich North America. “Extracts like ashwagandha and genistein are also gaining recognition for their potential benefits in supporting mood and women’s health. As consumer education around these solutions increases, the market will experience a surge in Gut+ products.”
Plus, there’s plenty of room for additional growth within the category as research reveals new strains with health-boosting potential, says Todd Beckman, CEO, Verb Biotics. “By leveraging recent advancements in biotechnology, we can search through millions of microbial variants to discover the right strains capable of producing specific metabolites for various health outcomes. For instance, in a recent initiative by Verb Biotics, we screened over 255 million microbial variants to identify a strain proficient in producing GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).”
4 Keys to Maximizing Sales
The microbiome market is increasingly over-saturated and can quickly become confusing for consumers. However, retailers are in an ideal position to help educate consumers and provide clarity on what makes for a quality product. “Novel solutions and emerging results in microbiome science offer opportunities to support targeted and multiple wellness areas,” says Vaughn DuBow, Senior Director, Product Portfolio Marketing, Health & Wellness, ADM. “Keeping informed on these developments can help retailers stay ahead of consumer needs and demands for health-centric products and capitalize on the burgeoning market.”
Get smart about delivery efficacy. “Consumers need to be educated that most orally ingested probiotics do not provide the benefits that manufacturers of probiotics lead them to believe,” cautions Ross Pelton, RPh, CCN, Ph.D., Science Director, Essential Formulas, Distributor of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics. “Stomach acid is designed to kill. It is from 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than the acidity in the small intestine. Hence, stomach acid kills most orally ingested probiotics. Enteric-coated probiotics and sport-based probiotics are capable of surviving transit through stomach acid.”
Alan Cheung, Bacteria Advocate, Managing Director, Belle+Bella, notes that microencapsulation (coating probiotic cells with protective materials to form tiny capsules that enhance stability and survivability) and liposome encapsulation (a method that uses lipid bilayers to encase probiotics, protecting them from degradation in the digestive tract) are other delivery formats that can ensure probiotics survive digestion.
Another option is a capsule-in-capsule delivery of a probiotic mini capsule floating in a capsule of Ahiflower oil, adds Collins. “This delivery system was examined in a gut-model study and demonstrated that Ahiflower oil as a carrier oil helped improve survivability of the probiotic strains included.”
Think metabolites over CFUs. “Consumers are often misled to believe that a higher CFU count means greater efficacy,” says Beckman. “CFUs will always be the standard for labels, claims and clinicals. Yet, when communicating to consumers, since metabolites are the drivers of health benefits, retailers could shift their communication to focus on which metabolites the biotic produces that positively impacts a specific health state. Shifting consumer-focused messaging from CFUs to the metabolites tied to a specific health state gives consumers a clear reason to believe on why they should choose specific biotic products for reasons such as mood enhancement, stress reduction, or weight management.”
Stock up on delicious treats. “One of the main drivers in the growing demand for microbiome support are the biotic ingredients that have been able to transcend from the supplement aisle to the food and beverage aisle,” notes Collins. “We first saw this with spore-forming probiotics making their way into foods on the shelf (i.e. oatmeal with probiotics), and now we are seeing prebiotics included in canned carbonated drinks.” Demand for gummies, chewables, and powder stick packs is also growing.
Focus on clinically backed ingredients. “Clinical research is key to marketing microbiome products,” notes Majeed. “Robust clinical trials to demonstrate the benefits of a microbiome product for a specific health concern will help the retailers to market the supplement effectively to the consumers, who want to know if a product will deliver the benefits they seek.”
The Latest in -Biotics
Probiotics:
“Consumers are no longer looking for probiotics made with the most strains or the highest number of CFU. Those can lead to more chaos in the gut, as the good guys compete with each other. They want targeted digestive health support, products for the gut-brain axis, and probiotics formulated for women,” says Julia Craven, VP of Education at Enzymedica. Craven notes that this is the inspiration behind Enyzmedica’s forthcoming line of probiotics called Subculture. “We sought out clinically studied specific substrains. The foundation is a seven-strain blend that covers your bases—with strains to support gut health, immune, vaginal and urinary, hormonal health and mood.”
The focus on offering “precision probiotics” that offer targeted health benefits is growing. “Our research in precision probiotics has also shown that combining a higher quantity of probiotic strains does not always equal a better solution. In fact, we believe it’s much more effective to focus on strain identification and mechanism of action of a strain, rather than simply the amount of colony forming units (CFUs),” explains Steven Riley, Head of B2B & Corporate Marketing, Clasado Bioscience.
Apart from gut microbiome, skin and oral microbiome offer huge opportunities, adds Majeed. “Retailers need to keep pace with the next generation probiotics which include Eubacterium hallii, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia spp., Akkermansia muciniphila, and Bacteroides fragilis, as their presence in the gut can have an impact on the development of various diseases.” Here, some other promising strains on the market.
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG. This strain is the subject of more than 800 studies, of which 200 are clinical trials exploring and demonstrating benefits in upper respiratory support, as well as reduction of abdominal discomfort and diarrhea associated with stress and anxiousness, notes Emilie Puppinck, Biotics Product Manager, Gnosis by Lesaffre. “It is a strain that has been revealed to work in five ways: produces antimicrobial substances, competes with pathogens for nutrients and adhesion sites, regulates intestinal epithelial cell survival and growth, and influences immune response by stimulating antibody production while enhancing the phagocytic activity of blood leukocytes.”
S. bouladii. “The probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cereviae var. boulardii has been shown to survive the digestive tract to neutralize pathogenic bacteria, says Puppinck. “S. boulardii also crowds out undesirable bacteria and stops them from penetrating the epithelium. It also defends against pathogens at the entry site, increasing immune responsivity.”
Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1. This strain has been shown to improve digestion and boost regularity, says Danna Pratte, Founder and CEO of NBPure. She notes that this strain is included in the brand’s Poobiotics, which also include four additional strains shown to promote a happy gut.
Bacillus coagulans. Branded as Lactospore, this spore-forming strain from Sabinsa has been shown to have a positive effect on digestion and immune function, notes Majeed. It’s also stable enough during processing to be included in a variety of functional foods including waffles, cookies, juice, and coffee.
Bacillus subtilis. “Our spore-forming probiotic, branded as DE111, is backed by studies showing that it may support digestive health and may help support healthy immune function,” adds DuBow. “A groundbreaking study also demonstrates that DE111 also survives through the stomach and germinates in the small intestine.”
Gnosis also offers a spore-forming probiotic of Bacillus subtilis, branded as LifeinU BSCU1, notes Puppinck. “This spore-forming strain improves immune response through stimulating secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) antibody levels in the intestine (and saliva). A clinical study showed that supplementation with LifeinU BSCU1 reduced the incidence of upper respiratory challenges by 45%.”
Levilactobacillus brevis KABP 052. This strain, in combination Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KABP 051 and Pediococcus acidilactici KABP 02, can help address women’s health concerns such as urinary tract health and menopausal symptoms, says Jordi Riera, Chief Business Officer at Kaneka Probiotics. “Marketed as Gyntima Menopause, the blend helps to modulate the gut microbiota and has been shown to support healthy estrogen levels. Our Gyntima range of products is currently available in Europe, and we will soon launch our clinically-researched menopause blend in the U.S.”
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. This strain, branded as GABA Probiotic, offers a consistent release of GABA to support relaxation, addressing the demand for mental wellness support through microbiome solutions.
Prebiotics:
Prebiotics serve as food for the good bacteria in the gut. But not all prebiotic fibers affect the gut microbiome equally, cautions Joana Carneiro-Wakefield, Ph.D., NutriLeads Chief Executive Officer. “Each person's gut has its own unique mix of trillions of microorganisms crucial for maintaining a healthy body. So, a prebiotic that has beneficial effects for one person might have very limited benefits for another. A major reason for inconsistent benefits relates to prebiotic fiber structure. Many prebiotics with simpler structures undergo fermentation by a wide range of microorganisms, leading to a competitive fermentation process.”
Finding the right prebiotic for your microbiome may take some trial and error. Here are some popular prebiotics fibers on the market to try:
Benicaros. This branded precision prebiotic (derived from carrot pomace) has a complex structure that enables the same robust and reliable gut health benefits in every type of gut microbiome, says Carneiro-Wakefield. “The fermentation of Benicaros requires collaboration (cross-feeding) between a specialized consortia of gut bacteria, including strains linked with diverse health benefits. Benicaros also generates significantly less gas—a natural byproduct of prebiotic fiber fermentation—than conventional prebiotics.”
Fibersol. This soluble corn fiber can nourish the intestinal flora and support the intestinal tract environment, says DuBow. “Fibersol may also delay hunger and stimulate appetite-regulating hormones and it may increase satiety perception. A study’s results demonstrated that Fibersol may increase appetite regulating hormone GLP-1 when consumed at 10 grams with a meal in healthy individuals.” NBPure offers Daily Multi-Fiber, a prebiotic blend that features Fibersol.
Galactooligosaccharides (GOS). This lactose-derived prebiotic has been extensively researched. Clasado BioSciences offers the branded ingredient Bimuno GOS, which has been shown to promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria from as low as 1.37g active GOS, says Riley. In fact, studies show Bimuno GOS can help reduce bloating and increase good gut bacteria in just 7 days. Collins adds that Bimuno is now being included in Saya Suka’s sparkling synbiotic water. FrieslandCampina also offers a version of GOS, branded as Biotis GOS, which may help reduce anxiety symptoms by targeting the gut-brain axis, adds Zeilstra. “We also offer Biotis GOS-OP High Purity prebiotic. It features over 90% GOS content (typically 94%) and is effective at a low dose of only two grams. As such, it is able to resolve historical challenges associated with formulating high-dose prebiotics into supplements; facilitating the creation of more appealing products like gummies, tablets and powder sticks.”
Orafti Oligofructose. This chicory root fiber, branded as Orafti from BENEO, has been shown to improve mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression in a recently published study. Commenting on the findings, Dr. Stephan Theis, Head of Nutrition Science at BENEO said, “Thanks to this study, an important piece of scientific evidence has been contributed to the fascinating science of the gut-brain axis. The results add to the growing body of evidence showing that the composition of gut microbiota and resulting metabolites impact mood state. The findings also demonstrate that targeted influence with prebiotics may be a viable way to improve mood. It is notable that oligofructose has once again been shown to have a significant effect on beneficial microbiota and is an essential contributor to the beneficial effects on gut microbiota and mood parameters when combined with 2’fucosyllactose.”
PreforPro. “Bacteriophage technology also continues to evolve, and our next-generation prebiotic based on a bacteriophage blend, PreforPro, supports just that,” says DuBow. “When combined with selected probiotic strains, PreforPro has shown to have the potential to support the GI tract.
Synbiotics:
Manufacturers are increasingly working to pair probiotic strains with complementary prebiotics in a single formulation known as a synbiotics, notes Collins. “A great example of this is the Probi Defendum + Bimuno GOS synbiotic combination that demonstrated utilization and increased immune support by the Defendum strain when Bimuno was present.”
Similarly, Wakunga’s Kyo-Dophilus Pro+ Synbiotic is another example of a synbiotic formula that can better promote overall health in a single dose, says Levy. “Providing a proprietary source of prebiotic fiber (BioEcolians), our Pro+ Synbiotic helps to keep the microbiome in balance by feeding the beneficial bacteria, especially Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species.”
Postbiotics:
Postbiotics—a combination of dead or heat-treated probiotics and their metabolites—are considered by some to be the future of -biotics. “Unlike probiotics, postbiotics are highly stable in a diverse range of products, creating opportunities to offer convenience to consumers,” notes Phillips. For example, our postbiotic, Humiome Post LB, is a safe, stable and easy-to-use solution composed of a unique combination of two proprietary lactobacillus strains, metabolites and fermented culture medium. It is developed using an exclusive fermentation process to enrich, concentrate and heat-stabilize the micro-organisms and ensure consistency batch-to-batch.
DuBow points out that postbiotics offer an opportunity to advance the convergence between foods, beverages and dietary supplements. “The heat-treated postbiotic versions of our BPL1 and ES1 strains can survive during harsh processing conditions like high heat or water content, making them suitable for an extensive array of foods, beverages and dietary supplements that can fit into consumers’ varying lifestyles and goals.”
Other postbiotic options include Sabinsa’s postbiotic, LactoSporin, which can be an effective and safe natural ingredient for skin formulations, says Majeed. “It has been found to have anti-aging and anti-acne effects in clinical studies.”
ADM offers BPL1 (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT8145) probiotic and postbiotic, which help target aspects of metabolic health, adds DuBow. “Emerging and in vitro evidence also suggests that BPL1–in combination with diet and exercise–may help support weight management, a healthy body mass index (BMI) and metabolic health pathways.”
For those looking for immune support, IMMUSE, the branded postbiotic from Kyowa, is a good choice, says Maria Stanieich, Marketing Manager, Kyowa Hakko USA. “IMMUSE Postbiotic stimulates multiple types of immune cells for more comprehensive immune support in a single ingredient. IMMUSE activates plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), primarily located in the small intestine. Its unique ability to activate pDCs results in more extensive immune system stimulation.”
And to support overall gut health, CoreBiome, a patented postbiotic derived from the butyrate, is a smart diet addition, says Jason Minear, Chief Operating Officer, Health Plus, Inc. Butyrate helps to nourish and maintain the integrity of the gut lining. “This is a building block for the homeostasis to take place.”
More to Know on the Microbiome!
