By: Nurul Ezzaty Mohd Azhari
Photo: Noor Azreen Awang
SERDANG, FEB 2 – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) researchers have succeeded in producing Futuristic Probiotics, which are food innovations and health supplements for human gut health.
Principal researcher, Prof. Dr. Foo Hooi Ling, said Futuristic Probiotics are probiotic metabolites known as postbiotics which provide consistent health benefits compared to the health benefits of living probiotic cells, which are often unstable and inconsistent.
"Postbiotics is a futuristic probiotic that replaces live probiotic cells as a health supplement.
"Postbiotics also perform the function of restoring, improving and maintaining the balance of intestinal microbiota by supporting the growth of good probiotic bacteria already in the intestine as well as suppressing the growth of bad bacteria or pathogens in our intestines," she said.
Prof. Dr. Foo, a lecturer at the Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (FBSB), UPM, said the balance of gut microbiota is crucial for a healthy gut condition for each individual as well as for improving overall body health.
She said this product would provide health effects consistently because it helps maintain a balanced intestinal microbiota for a long time.
"This product is a supplement safe for consumption, and even the shelf life of this postbiotic product is more stable, and the storage period is also longer at room temperature.
"In addition, the advantage of this innovation is that it is low risk for patients with weakened immunity problems such as AIDS patients and patients under intensive medical care in the intensive care unit or critical care unit who need intensive medical care," she said.
She added that this research would increase the importance of the biotechnology industry and even demonstrate the need and function of research at FBSB.
This product has been marketed through collaboration with My Myracle Sdn. Bhd., and the collaboration with the UPM researchers have also helped the company build a complete facility to increase the production of these postbiotic products further. -UPM
