Bacillus coagulans Spores for Lactose Intolerance Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lactose intolerance affects a significant portion of the global population due to lactase enzyme deficiency, leading to gastrointestinal symptoms, and existing probiotics have strain-specific effects, necessitating a superior probiotic strain and synergistic combination for improved lactose utilization.
Innovation Solution
The use of probiotic bacteria Bacillus coagulans individually or in combination with a multi-enzyme complex for increased lactose utilization and therapeutic management of lactose intolerance, with Bacillus coagulans strain MTCC 5856 demonstrating enhanced lactose hydrolysis and enzyme production capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional probiotics (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) are used for lactose intolerance management, then they supplement gastrointestinal flora and promote lactose digestion, but their effects are strain-specific and limited in versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using Bacillus coagulans spores that can function across multiple strains and formulations. The spore-based probiotic provides broad-spectrum applicability for lactose intolerance management without being limited to specific strain dependencies, enabling the same core mechanism to work reliably across different product formulations and populations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of probiotic delivery from live bacterial cells to spore-based formulations. This parameter change enables the probiotic to survive gastric acid and maintain viability through processing, thereby improving reliability while expanding adaptability across different food matrices and storage conditions.
2Productivity
If probiotics are used to increase lactase enzyme capacity in the small intestine, then lactose digestion is improved, but the probiotics require specific strain characteristics that limit their widespread application
Solution Approach 1:
The Bacillus coagulans spores are self-sufficient in producing lactase enzyme upon germination in the gastrointestinal tract. The spores carry the necessary genetic machinery to synthesize lactase de novo, eliminating the need for external strain-specific factors or pre-formed enzyme complexes, thereby achieving high productivity without strain dependency.
3Reliability
If live probiotic bacteria are administered, then they can colonize and produce lactase, but their survival through gastric acid and processing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spore formation as a protective mechanism that cushions the probiotic against gastric acid and processing conditions before the bacteria need to be active. The spore wall provides inherent protection during stomach passage, ensuring reliable survival and germination in the intestine without requiring complex formulation protections.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Bacillus coagulans effectively increases lactose utilization and reduces symptoms of lactose intolerance by enhancing lactase enzyme activity, stability, and utilization in various food products, offering a broader application for lactose management compared to traditional probiotics.
Implementation Method 1
Lactase (beta-D-galactosidase, EC 3.2.1.23) is an endogenous enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of lactose to glucose and galactose
Implementation Method 2
Lactase (beta-D-galactosidase, EC 3.2.1.23) is an endogenous enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of lactose to glucose and galactose
Implementation Method 3
When the amount of ingested lactose exceeds the hydrolytic capacity of lactase in the intestine, undigested lactose is transported to the large intestine where it is fermented by the bacterial microflora, producing organic acids, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a stable probiotic composition comprising Bacillus coagulans individually and/or in combination with multi-enzyme complex for the utilization of lactose and therapeutic management of lactose intolerance. It also discloses a method for the management of lactose intolerance using composition comprising Bacillus coagulans individually and/or in combination with multi-enzyme complex.