OptiBiotix launches low-dose prebiotic OptiXOS in Europe and Africa

Photo © AdobeStock.com/Michail Petrov

OptiBiotix Health Plc (Heslington, York, UK) announced the in-license and launch of its OptiXOS prebiotic ingredient in the European and African markets. OptiXOS is a xylo-oligosaccharide ingredient that the company says is effective at a low dose.

“Having demonstrated in clinical trials that it can significantly increase positive gut health microbes at low active doses, such as Bifidobacterium, [at] as low as one gram, the ingredient also offers superior stability at high temperatures and a low pH,” the company’s press release states.

Additional benefits of OptiXOS include “superior” tolerance in the gastrointestinal tract, producing “significantly less gas compared with other prebiotics,” the firm says.

In a press release, René Kamminga, CEO of OptiBiotix Ltd., which is a subsidiary of OptiBiotix Health Plc, stated: “OptiXOS is unlike any prebiotic fiber commercially available in Europe today. Its unique benefits, such as the ability to withstand the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract, means more reaches the gut to enhance the growth of health positive bacteria. The unique, commercially unrivalled, and low effective dose creates the possibility to deliver prebiotic supplements in capsule or sachet form. Additionally, it can also be combined with probiotics as in-situ food stash that travels with the live bacteria through the gut, such as in synbiotics.”

The ingredient’s synbiotic potential is especially promising, the company adds, especially in combination with such probiotic strains as Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. “The company’s research has shown that when OptiXOS is combined with certain probiotic strains, there is an increased effect on growth rate activity accentuating the health benefits derived from the strains,” it says.

Applications for OptiXOS are wide-ranging. “OptiXOS will enable the creation of more advanced prebiotic solutions in the dietary supplement, food and beverage, and sports nutrition industries,” said Kamminga. “In Asia and North America, it is widely used in dairy products, such as yogurt and dairy drinks, RTD beverages, supplements, pet food, and animal feed. We are delighted at the prospect of bringing such a unique solution to the European market.”

OptiXOS bears Novel Food Approval from the European Food Safety Authority. In the United States, it is both Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and holds New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) status, the company says.