ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE December 2025 57 POSTBIOTICS: PRESERVING THE BENEFITS, ENHANCING THE PRACTICALITY The introduction of live probiotic organisms has been shown to be beneficial for some medical conditions. However, working with live organisms presents practical challenges, including stringent regulatory requirements and maintaining viability throughout the production, storage, and distribution process. Recent research set out to investigate if the benefits of probiotics could be obtained without those risks, by using heat treatment to inactivate bacteria and yeast, and then evaluating if the remaining components could be beneficial without harm to the host. These inactivated microbial fractions are called postbiotics. The researchers theorized that selected bacteria strains, made non-viable before administration, could be valuable functional ingredients to enhance pet food and pet supplement products. Lallemand’s researchers selected three strains of bacteria based on their known immunomodulatory properties: Lactobacillus helveticus HA-122, L. paracasei HA-108 and L. plantarum HA-119. They then used a strain-specific, gentle, heat-treatment process that: • enabled preservation of the cell membrane and cell structure of the bacteria strains while inhibiting their capacity to replicate, and • ensured the production of microbiologically non-viable, shelf-stable, yet functionally active microbial cells. While all three strains underwent this careful preparation, the following studies zoom in on L. helveticus HA-122 and L. plantarum HA-119 to demonstrate the postbiotic approach in depth. After the bacteria were heat treated, they were examined in depth. The researchers observed that the cell membrane and cellular structure were preserved, retaining their structural integrity and bioactive components. The research then progressed to the next critical step: an in vivo proof-of-concept study. This marked the second phase of a rigorous three-step research program designed to validate the postbiotics' efficacy—first, strain characterization to preserve bacterial structure and function; second, effect characterization using a phenotyping model; and third, validation in the target species. THE REMARKABLE MAMMALIAN MODEL: THE ZEBRAFISH To validate the functional activity of the heat-treated strains, researchers first turned to the zebrafish—a well-recognized model for studying mammalian gut and immune biology. Although obviously not a mammal, the zebrafish offers key advantages: a fully sequenced genome, rapid reproduction, cost-effective maintenance, and strong physiological parallels with mammals, particularly in gut structure, nutrient metabolism, and immune pathways. Photo: Freepik
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