“Diet throughout life appears to be a key determinant of the regulation and composition of the gut microbiome,” explained Dr. Robert Steinert, HNC principal scientist at dsm-firmenich, during a presentation on the ingredient at the expo earlier this month.
“The problem with our diet is that we’re not eating a diet that’s healthy for our gut microbiome every day. We know we’re missing about 20 grams of fiber per day, we’re eating too few fermented foods, and we’re eating too few live microorganisms.”
There are numerous biotics on the market, but as research expands beyond synbiotics to consider antibacterial networks, “DSM-Fermenich recognized that there was further potential in vitamins for the colon,” he explained.
He noted that anyone who attended the Probiotics Conference in Milan earlier this year would have seen the special session on the microbiome ecosystem, where keynote speaker Professor Jens Walter pointed out the importance of understanding the gut ecosystem, networks and ecology to overcome some of the limitations seen with probiotics, such as high individual variability and the influence of background diet.
“He talked about cross-feeding of carbon, cross-feeding of short-chain fatty acids, which feeds the microbiota and helps with microbial growth, detoxification, and dealing with the stresses of the luminal environment.”
He pointed out that it has traditionally been understood that probiotic bacteria lead to the production of vitamins in the intestine that can be used by the host, but recent research has revealed that the host’s utilization of vitamins is very low, raising the question of whether probiotic bacteria are even produced for the host in the first place.
“It turns out they actually produce these vitamins themselves to help with their metabolism,” Steinert said.
He noted that a 2016 study looking at the biosynthetic pathway of vitamin B found an “inverse pattern” — that is, some microbes make certain B vitamins, but other microbes use them.
He noted that riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a precursor to flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and plays a vital role in various metabolic processes, as well as playing a role in detoxifying inhibitory molecules, reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nurturing microbiome resilience.
DSM-Firmenich conducted in vitro experiments screening various vitamins for their effects on the gut and found that “gut diversity was consistently enhanced by riboflavin in vitro.”
To further study the relationship between riboflavin and gut health, DSM-Firmenich studied a cohort of over 1,000 people for whom fecal samples of their gut microbiota were available. They looked at the relationship between gut microbiota production of the vitamin and factors related to diabetes and cardiometabolic health.
The researchers found that the biosynthetic pathways of vitamin B are linked, that vitamin B2 is positively correlated with alpha diversity, and that there is an association between intake of this vitamin and type 2 diabetes.
He noted that the problem with vitamins is that they are so efficiently absorbed that they are less likely to be released in the lower intestine. To overcome this, it is possible to overdose or use targeted delivery systems, but resorting to overdosing would require individualized dosing, taking into account individual absorption thresholds.
Therefore, dsm-firmenich has developed the proprietary, IP-protected Microbiome Targeted Technology (MTT), a dual-acting colon-targeted delivery system featuring an innovative two-layer natural coating.
The first coating protects the riboflavin core from the harsh acidic environment of the stomach and small intestine, the outer layer resists digestive enzymes and low pH, and the inner layer remains intact until it reaches the colon, where it dissolves and releases the riboflavin.
This ensures that 90 percent of the riboflavin reaches the lower intestine and colon, with 10 percent being absorbed in the small intestine, unlike 98 percent of conventional vitamins, which are absorbed in the upper small intestine, he said.
This coating also allows it to be combined with other ingredients, such as biotics or other vitamins, within the capsule.
