COVID-19 Impact on Probiotics in Food and Beverage Industry
COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the probiotics industry by increasing the consumption of healthy supplements owing to health benefits associated with them. Quarantine and Extended lockdown has impacted considerably all over world.
However, pandemic has been created an opportunity due to the demand of probiotics. This is mainly due to raised awareness regarding health and increased concern for maintaining immunity and thereby well-being of health.
Probiotics are known as live bacteria and yeasts which are good for digestive system. Probiotics are particularly used to maintain health of gut. Lactobacillus is most commonly used probiotics which is present in fermented food. This strain is particularly preventing diarrhea which mainly caused due to antibiotic infection. Bifidebacterium probiotics is found in dairy products which are particularly used in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Since there is no clinically approved specific efficacious treatment are available to treat covd-19, preventative measures are carried out by taking precautions and reinforcing immune system. Probiotics are interacts with gut bacteria that is microbiome to strengthen gut health and thereby immune system.
Researcher has stated that, probiotics are associated with prevention and decreasing bacterial and viral infections. Hence, they have shown better demand in this pandemic. Most of the information regarding the strengthening of immune health through probiotics has been demonstrated in animal.
For instance,
• In mice, intranasal inoculations of L. reuteri or L. plantarum have been shown protective effects against pneumonia. Further, talking about health effects associated with probiotics in this probiotics, Probiotics strain L. reuteri DSM 17938 has shown better protective nature against upper respiratory tract infections in children aged between 6 months to 3 years old.
• In Sweden’ Tetra Park workers, probiotics strain L. reuteri ATCC 55730 showed improved work-place healthiness by decreasing short term weakness caused by respiratory problems.
A recent meta- analysis stated that daily intake of probiotics associated with less antibiotics consumption which is previously related with treatment of common cold. In addition, intakes of probiotics are effective in enriching immune system against common flu and respiratory tract infections.
• In February 2020, China's National Health Commission and National Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration recommended the use of probiotics in seriously COVID-19 patients. They reported the role of probiotics in diseases relating to COVID-19.
In the treatment of COVID-19, 2–47% of infected patients mandatory require mechanical ventilation. Two randomized controlled trials showed that critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation with intake of probiotic strains such as live Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, and Enterococcus faecalis has developed considerably less ventilator-associated pneumonia.
In addition, probiotics also used to prevent lower respiratory tract infection (RTI) caused by bacteria. Meta- analysis has conducted research on 2000 patients of RTI. They are treated with probiotics strains which proven helpful to reduce incidence of ventilator-related pneumonia.
Further, this analysis stated that probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 are proven as effective medication for suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α) in adults. This cytokines has been occurred in many COVID-19 patients.
Thus, probiotics are proven effective healthy supplements in this pandemic to improve immune system. Thus, owing to this healthy effects associated with probiotics, Manufacturers of probiotics are focusing on the production of probiotics. They particularly include strains of lactobacillus and bifidebacterium to their health effects. Thus, probiotics manufacturers are more prone towards production.
Further, many manufacturers of probiotics are reforming their strategies to set on rising consumption and thereby grab opportunity to enhanced focus on health and wellness.
For instance,
• In June 2020, BioGaia one of the major probiotics manufacturers has launched biogaia.es a new website in Spanish speaking countries which will further improves awareness related to the use probiotics in the treatment of COVID to strengthening the immune and thereby well-being of health. Further, company has stated that its probiotics strain L. reuteri DSM 17938 is effective for treatment of common cold in children.
The Coronavirus pandemic is also driving an interest of consumer towards purchasing immunity boosting and higher protein content products. Current treatments of COVID-19 are associated with symptoms such as fever and cough. These symptoms may be typical symptoms of seasonal flu or general respiratory illness.
Hence, it is necessary to focus on maintain good immune and digestive system. Thus, probiotics strains such as HN001 and HN019 are clinically proven effective for maintaining gut and immunity health. Thus, demand for probiotics is witnessing better demand in pandemic.
INITIATIVES
ZBiotics has always been manufactured under food-grade sanitary conditions, and now is no different. Importantly, the FDA confirms that there has been NO evidence of the transmission of COVID-19 from food or food packaging. The FDA also confirms that the regular good manufacturing practices (GMPs) used to produce ZBiotics are expected to be appropriate sanitary measures against COVID-19. These include our facility and equipment cleaning and sanitization procedures.
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