MicroStrong Stability Technology

Optimizing for Strength, Stability, and Activity

Brad Glocke President MicroSynergies

Roy Glocke Founder & Chief Technical Advisor MicroSynergies

As the global leader in diverse microbial knowledge, application, and sourcing, MicroSynergies prides ourselves on using proven science to help create the most stable, strong, and active microbial cultures on the planet through our suite of advanced microbial growth and processing technologies.

These technologies are utilized by multiple MicroSynergies manufacturing partners as either individual technologies or as a complete suite of microbial culture enhancements. Our goal is to create highly stable and active cultures with long shelf-lives. This goal is achieved through the synergy of the following technologies, which we call MicroSynergy, the singular of our namesake.

MicroSynergy is made up of three key phases: MicroShock at the source of strain fermentation, MicroStrong in the processing of bulk cultures, and MicroGrow, an exciting breakthrough that we hope to release in the coming years (but we’re excited to show you our progress now).

Within the combination of these promising technologies and our partnerships with manufacturers around the world is what we’re really after as a company: finding ways to combine networks of microbes and overlaying them with additional enhancements in order to create true synergies between new science and commercial technology.

We’re always continuing to develop our science and strengthen of biological formulation philosophy. As a further example, this article takes a look at what MicroSynergy technology can do for anaerobic microbial cultures. We’ve been implementing the first two phases— MicroShock and MicroStrong— for years, and we’re excited to see what the future will bring with MicroGrow.

Microshock

MicroSynergy technology begins with MicroShock — a mixture of rigorous strain selection, cuttingedge cryoprotectants, highly customized culture media, and advanced fermentation capabilities to build stronger organisms, naturally.

While most of the impressive results come at the MicroStrong level for now, this phase is of course of incredible importance: if we don’t start with some of the most proven and strongest organic strains available, the rest of the technological phases won’t mean much.

For this phase of the technology, we rely heavily on our network of R&D teams and technical experts, both in-house and out. And as we hope to provide in greater detail in a future volume of The Bug Book, the science in this first phase has a great bearing on the MicroGrow phase, in both ease of implementation and the intensity level of its effect on the given culture.

Microstrong

From there, MicroStrong utilizes techniques that optimize the microbial carrier, control available water (aW), and work especially well with lowMVTR packaging -– designed for further environmental control and longer shelf-life.

In order to prove the effectiveness of our technologies, independent third-party analysis was done with separate researchers from different labs to compare the effects of incorporating our MicroStrong and then MicroGrow technologies into the processing of popular microbial cultures. The first study, described herein, was done for the MicroStrong technology only— and using the summary from the study of the effects on Lactobacillus acidophilus specifically. Similar studies were summarized for the other cultures studied and as seen from the charts that follow, similar results were obtained.

Purpose

The following study was performed by an outside lab over a 12-month period at ambient room temperature to illustrate the effectiveness and necessity of utilizing multiple layers of protection in controlling water activity (aW) and keeping the

Key Ideas

MicroSynergy® Technology

MICROSHOCK™

Strain selection via stress-testing creates a solid base for commercial scale-up.

MICROSTRONG™

While minimal difference is seen from 0 to 2 months, thereafter viable CFUs with MicroStrong are measured at 3-5x+ a typical control.

MICROGROW™ cells viable longer through increased shelf-life and microbial stability.

While this technology is still under development, we’ve seen incredibly promising results of up to 84% increases in lactic acid production over the control immediately postproduction.

Method

The MicroStrong and the control samples were standardized in anhydrous dextrose at 3.90E+9 CFU/ g. Eight samples of each were stored at ambient temperature (~21°C) and enumerated using MRS agar and incubated at 37°C for 3 days at day 1, week 2, and months 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12.

The ‘Control Typical’ was not conditioned with MicroStrong but incorporated the use of low-MVTR packaging techniques while the ‘Control Baseline’ was also not conditioned and was packaged in industrystandard bulk poly-lined packaging.

RESULTS*

The MicroStrong group remained stable acrossand-at the 12-month mark, whereas the controls were unable to achieve similar stability results, dying-off after 2 months. This is likely explained by the MicroStrong technology of proprietary cryoprotectants, aW control methods, and advanced environmental packaging techniques.

Conclusion

The incorporation of processing using the MicroStrong technology had a very significant impact on viability. Because these organisms tend to re-main viable for a longer period of time when refrigerated or frozen, the results obtained above at ambient temperatures are even more promising when combined with this third layer of protect-ion.

Recommendation

MicroSynergies recommends always storing bacterial cultures in a cool place – preferably in freezing conditions-– and to make sure the storage area is as dry as possible. In addition, we recommend that all blended cultures (cultures that contain a carrier) be processed using the MicroStrong process.

Microgrow

Finally, our evolving, genus-specific MicroGrow technology creates the most ideal micronutritional environment for the cultures so that they not only survive but thrive -–“turning on” and becoming more active in their post-manufactured state with results of lactic acid increase of up to 84% (right).

Final Thoughts

Based on additional studies and commercial experience, we believe that the MicroStrong technology will work on most, if not all popular commercially grown anaerobic bacteria (e.g. Enterococci, Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Lactococci, Pediococci, Propionibacterium, and Streptococci).

Our initial findings for MicroGrow seem to suggest best results at the level of genera, with additional analysis needed to determine the economics of implementing the technology at the species level.

Stay connected to MicroSynergies to get updates on our progress with this new and exciting technology.

* Similar and consistent results were also obtained when testing was performed on other anaerobic LAB organisms in a series of same-setup studies (see advertisement that follows).