Key Technologies for the Discovery and Industrialization of Probiotic Strains: Creation and Application

The gut microbiota interacts with various human systems and is a vital "organ" in regulating human health, standing at the forefront of global basic research and health industry incubation. Probiotics, as crucial components for regulating gut microbiota, have seen a convergence of interest in both academia and industry in terms of functional strain screening and production technology. According to data from the China Health Care Association, the domestic market size for probiotic products reached 87.98 billion yuan in 2020. Data from Euromonitor International shows that China's probiotic consumption market has surpassed Italy, ranking second globally, with an annual growth rate of 11-12%. Although there are many types of probiotic products on the Chinese market, the core probiotic strains are almost monopolized by foreign suppliers. The American company IFF accounts for about 50% of China's probiotic raw material share, while Denmark's Chr. Hansen holds approximately 35%, with domestic strains making up less than 10%. Domestic probiotics face three main shortcomings compared to imported strains: First, the efficiency of strain screening is low. Traditional probiotic screening methods are labor-intensive and cannot selectively screen strains based on functional directions. Second, there is a lack of fundamental research supporting strain functions, particularly human trial data, which results in many domestically available strains lacking sufficient scientific backing and advanced clinical studies, leading to weak consumer perception. Lastly, the technologies for applying probiotics are imperfect, with issues such as low survival rates during lyophilization and fluctuating live bacteria counts during the product's shelf life, which increase the application costs for businesses using domestic probiotics. This project team plans to develop a high-throughput screening method for probiotic strains that exhibit superior traits and scientifically validate their functions through animal and clinical trials. Finally, the project aims to develop probiotic processing methods that preserve their efficacy during application. By addressing these three areas, we intend to establish a feasible technological pathway from discovery to industrialization of probiotics, providing other companies in the industry with replicable innovative technological methods.