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McFarland LV, Hecht G, Sanders ME, Goff DA, Goldstein EJC, Hill C, Johnson S, Kashi MR, Kullar R, Marco ML, Merenstein DJ, Millette M, Preidis GA, Quigley EMM, Reid G, Salminen S, Sniffen JC, Sokol H, Szajewska H, Tancredi DJ, Woolard K. Recommendations to Improve Quality of Probiotic Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analyses. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2346872. [PMID: 38064222 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.46872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Systematic reviews and meta-analyses often report conflicting results when assessing evidence for probiotic efficacy, partially because of the lack of understanding of the unique features of probiotic trials. As a consequence, clinical decisions on the use of probiotics have been confusing. Objective To provide recommendations to improve the quality and consistency of systematic reviews with meta-analyses on probiotics, so evidence-based clinical decisions can be made with more clarity. Evidence Review For this consensus statement, an updated literature review was conducted (January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2022) to supplement a previously published 2018 literature search to identify areas where probiotic systematic reviews with meta-analyses might be improved. An expert panel of 21 scientists and physicians with experience on writing and reviewing probiotic reviews and meta-analyses was convened and used a modified Delphi method to develop recommendations for future probiotic reviews. Findings A total of 206 systematic reviews with meta-analysis components on probiotics were screened and representative examples discussed to determine areas for improvement. The expert panel initially identified 36 items that were inconsistently reported or were considered important to consider in probiotic meta-analyses. Of these, a consensus was reached for 9 recommendations to improve the quality of future probiotic meta-analyses. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, the expert panel reached a consensus on 9 recommendations that should promote improved reporting of probiotic systematic reviews with meta-analyses and, thereby, assist in clinical decisions regarding the use of probiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynne V McFarland
- McFarland Consulting, Seattle, Washington
- Public Health Reserve Corp, Seattle Washington
| | - Gail Hecht
- Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois
| | - Mary E Sanders
- International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, Centennial, Colorado
| | - Debra A Goff
- Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, Columbus
| | | | - Colin Hill
- International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics, University College Cork, Ireland
| | - Stuart Johnson
- Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
- Departments of Medicine and Research, Edward Hines Jr Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Illinois
| | - Maryam R Kashi
- Department of Gastroenterology, AdventHealth Medical Group, Orlando, Florida
| | | | - Maria L Marco
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis
| | - Daniel J Merenstein
- Research Programs Family Medicine, Department of Human Science, Georgetown University School of Health, Washington, DC
| | - Mathieu Millette
- Bio-K Plus, a Kerry Company, Laval, Quebec, Canada
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Geoffrey A Preidis
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
| | - Eamonn M M Quigley
- Lynda K and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Houston Methodist Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston, Texas
| | - Gregor Reid
- St Joseph's Hospital, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Seppo Salminen
- Functional Foods Forum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jason C Sniffen
- Infectious Disease Consultants, Altamonte Springs, Florida
- Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Section, University of South Florida, Tampa
| | - Harry Sokol
- Gastroenterology Department, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Sorbonne University, INSERM, Paris, France
- Paris Centre for Microbiome Medicine FHU, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Unité Mixte de Recherche, Micalis & AgroParisTech, Jouy en Josas, France
| | - Hania Szajewska
- Department of Paediatrics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Daniel J Tancredi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
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Kharwar A, Bazaz MR, Dandekar MP. Quantitative and qualitative characterization of commercially available oral suspension of probiotic products containing Bacillus Clausii spores. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:217. [PMID: 36114449 PMCID: PMC9482283 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02631-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Probiotics contain beneficial live bacteria that confer several health benefits to the host. For the past 50 years, spore-forming Bacillus species have been used in the form of probiotics. Among these, Bacillus clausii strains are used for the management of acute and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. In the present work, we have evaluated the asserted label information on randomly chosen commercial Bacillus clausii spore suspension of probiotic products. The quality and number of viable bacteria were evaluated based on the colony count, antibiotic resistance, and hemolytic activity assays. The colony fingerprinting and 16S rRNA gene-sequencing techniques were used to confirm the presence of a univariate strain (Bacillus clausii). Our results corroborated the label count of 2 × 109 CFU/5 mL in BACIPRO®, ENTEROGERMINA®, and TUFPRO® products. However, vegetative spore count was not found to match with the given label count in BENEGUT®, PROALANA-B®, β-LOCK®, and PROCILLUS® Bacillus clausii brands. In the hemolytic activity assay, except for β-LOCK®, the other 6 products showed gamma-hemolysis activity. Bacillus clausii isolated from all 7 probiotic products demonstrated resistance to several broad-spectrum antibiotics. The 16S rRNA gene-sequencing data detected genera of Bacillus and Bacillus clausii strain in the BACIPRO®, ENTEROGERMINA®, PROALANA-B®, BENEGUT®, and TUFPRO® products; however, Ralstonia mannitolilytica and Paenibacillus dendritiformis species were identified in β-LOCK® and PROCILLUS®, respectively. As correct label information was observed only in BACIPRO®, ENTEROGERMINA®, and TUFPRO® products, it is proposed that a more stringent quality check would minimize the possibility of mismatch concerning the label information.
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Zawistowska-Rojek A, Zaręba T, Tyski S. Microbiological Testing of Probiotic Preparations. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095701. [PMID: 35565098 PMCID: PMC9099753 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Probiotic microorganisms that are potentially beneficial to the health of the host are commercially available in a great variety of products. Not all microorganism strains present in products have proven beneficial to the health properties. These products include not only foodstuffs but also dietary supplements, food for special medical purposes, medicinal products, as well as cosmetics and medical devices. These products contain from one to a dozen bacterial strains of the same or different species and sometimes also fungal strains. Since the pro-health effects of probiotics depend on a specific strain, the number of its cells in a dose, and the lack of pathogenic microorganisms, it is extremely important to control the quality of probiotics. Depending on the classification of a given product, its form, and its content of microorganisms, the correct determination of the number of microorganisms and their identification is crucial. This article describes the culture-dependent and culture-independent methods for testing the contents of probiotic microorganisms, in addition to biochemical and genetic methods of identification. The microbiological purity requirements for various product categories are also presented. Due to numerous reports on the low quality of probiotic products available on the market, it is important to standardise research methods for this group of products and to increase the frequency of inspections of these products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Zawistowska-Rojek
- Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland; (T.Z.); (S.T.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Tomasz Zaręba
- Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland; (T.Z.); (S.T.)
| | - Stefan Tyski
- Department of Antibiotics and Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland; (T.Z.); (S.T.)
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
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Characterization and Viability Prediction of Commercial Probiotic Supplements under Temperature and Concentration Conditioning Factors by NIR Spectroscopy. FERMENTATION-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation8020066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The quality of probiotics has been associated with bacteria and yeast strains’ contents and their stability against conditioning factors. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), as a non-destructive, fast, real-time, and cost-effective analytical technique, can provide some advantages over more traditional food quality control methods in quality evaluation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the applicability of NIRS to the characterization and viability prediction of three commercial probiotic food supplement powders containing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) subjected to concentration and temperature conditioning factors. For each probiotic, 3 different concentrations were considered, and besides normal preparation (25 °C, control), samples were subjected to heat treatment at 60 or 90 °C and left to cool down until reaching room temperature prior to further analysis. Overall, after applying chemometrics to the NIR spectra, the obtained principal component analysis-based linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) classification models showed a high accuracy in both recognition and prediction. The temperature has an important impact on the discrimination of samples. According to the concentration, the best models were identified for the 90 °C temperature treatment, reaching 100% average correct classification for recognition and over 90% for prediction. However, the prediction accuracy decreased substantially at lower temperatures. For the 25°C temperature treatment, the prediction accuracy decreased to nearly 60% for 2 of the 3 probiotics. Moreover, according to the temperature level, both the recognition and prediction accuracies were close to 100%. Additionally, the partial least square regression (PLSR) model achieved respectable values for the prediction of the colony-forming units (log CFU/g) of the probiotic samples, with a determination coefficient for prediction (R2Pr) of 0.82 and root mean square error for prediction (RMSEP) of 0.64. The results of our study show that NIRS is a fast, reliable, and promising alternative to the conventional microbiology technique for the characterization and prediction of the viability of probiotic supplement drink preparations.
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Mazzantini D, Celandroni F, Calvigioni M, Panattoni A, Labella R, Ghelardi E. Microbiological Quality and Resistance to an Artificial Gut Environment of Two Probiotic Formulations. Foods 2021; 10:foods10112781. [PMID: 34829062 PMCID: PMC8617924 DOI: 10.3390/foods10112781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The quality control of probiotic products is the focus of numerous organizations worldwide. Several studies have highlighted the poor microbiological quality of many commercial probiotic formulations in terms of the identity of the contained microorganisms, viability, and purity, thus precluding the expected health benefits and representing a potential health risk for consumers. In this paper, we analyzed the contents of two probiotic formulations, one composed of an encapsulated mixture of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, and one by a lyophilized yeast. The microorganisms contained in the products were quantified and identified using up-to-date methodologies, such as MALDI-TOF MS and metagenomic analysis. Moreover, as acid and bile tolerance is included among the criteria used to select probiotic microorganisms, in vitro tests were performed to evaluate the behavior of the formulations in conditions mimicking the harsh gastric environment and the intestinal fluids. Our results indicate the high quality of the formulations in terms of the enumeration and identification of the contained organisms, as well as the absence of contaminants. Moreover, both products tolerated the acidic conditions well, with encapsulation providing further protection for the microorganisms. A good tolerance to the simulated artificial intestinal conditions was also evidenced for both preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diletta Mazzantini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (D.M.); (F.C.); (M.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Francesco Celandroni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (D.M.); (F.C.); (M.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Marco Calvigioni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (D.M.); (F.C.); (M.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Adelaide Panattoni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (D.M.); (F.C.); (M.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Roberto Labella
- Sanofi Consumer Health Care, Reading, Berkshire RG6 1PT, UK;
| | - Emilia Ghelardi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 37, 56127 Pisa, Italy; (D.M.); (F.C.); (M.C.); (A.P.)
- Research Center Nutraceuticals and Food for Health-Nutrafood, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-050-221-3679
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Mazzantini D, Calvigioni M, Celandroni F, Lupetti A, Ghelardi E. Spotlight on the Compositional Quality of Probiotic Formulations Marketed Worldwide. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:693973. [PMID: 34354690 PMCID: PMC8329331 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.693973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
On the worldwide market, a great number of probiotic formulations are available to consumers as drugs, dietary supplements, and functional foods. For exerting their beneficial effects on host health, these preparations should contain a sufficient amount of the indicated living microbes and be pathogen-free to be safe. Therefore, the contained microbial species and their amount until product expiry are required to be accurately reported on the labels. While commercial formulations licensed as drugs are subjected to rigorous quality controls, less stringent regulations are generally applied to preparations categorized as dietary supplements and functional foods. Many reports indicated that the content of several probiotic formulations does not always correspond to the label claims in terms of microbial identification, number of living organisms, and purity, highlighting the requirement for more stringent quality controls by manufacturers. The main focus of this review is to provide an in-depth overview of the microbiological quality of probiotic formulations commercialized worldwide. Many incongruences in the compositional quality of some probiotic formulations available on the worldwide market were highlighted. Even if manufacturers carry at least some of the responsibility for these inconsistencies, studies that analyze probiotic products should be conducted following recommended and up-to-date methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diletta Mazzantini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Calvigioni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesco Celandroni
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Lupetti
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Emilia Ghelardi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Research Center Nutraceuticals and Food for Health-Nutrafood, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Mohar Lorbeg P, Golob M, Kramer M, Treven P, Bogovič Matijašić B. Evaluation of Dietary Supplements Containing Viable Bacteria by Cultivation/MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and PCR Identification. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:700138. [PMID: 34349743 PMCID: PMC8326757 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.700138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The insufficient quality of products containing beneficial live bacteria in terms of content and viability of labelled microorganisms is an often-reported problem. The aim of this work was to evaluate the quality of dietary supplements containing viable bacteria available in Slovenian pharmacies using plate counting, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and species- or subspecies-specific PCR with DNA isolated from consortia of viable bacteria, from individual isolates, or directly from the products. Twelve percent of the products (3 of 26) contained insufficient numbers of viable bacteria. Eighty-three of the labelled species (111 in total) were confirmed by PCR with DNA from the product; 74% of these were confirmed by PCR with DNA from viable consortium, and 65% of these were confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS analysis of colonies. Certain species in multi-strain products were confirmed by PCR with DNA from viable consortia but not by MALDI-TOF MS, suggesting that the number of isolates examined (three per labelled strain) was too low. With the exception of Lacticaseibacillus casei and closely related species (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Lacticaseibacillus zeae), PCR and MALDI-TOF identification results agreed for 99% of the isolates examined, although several MALDI-TOF results had lower score values (1.700-1.999), indicating that the species identification was not reliable. The species L. zeae, which appeared in 20 matches of the Biotyper analysis, was identified as L. rhamnosus by PCR. The MALDI-TOF MS analysis was also unsuccessful in detecting Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Bacillus coagulans due to missing peaks and unreliable identification, respectively. Mislabelling was detected by both methods for two putative L. casei strains that turned out to belong to the species Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. PCR remains more successful in subspecies-level identification as long as the database of MALDI-TOF MS spectra is not expanded by building in-house databases. The lack of positive PCR results with viable consortia or colonies, but positive PCR results with DNA isolated directly from the products observed in 10% (11/112) of the labelled strains, suggests the presence of non-culturable bacteria in the products. MALDI-TOF MS is a faster and simpler alternative to PCR identification, provided that a sufficient number of colonies are examined. Generation of in-house library may further improve the identification accuracy at the species and sub-species level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Mohar Lorbeg
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, Institute of Dairy Science and Probiotics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Majda Golob
- Veterinary Faculty, Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Mateja Kramer
- Global Drug Development, Technical Research & Development, Biologics and Cell & Gene Therapy, Novartis, Global Project Management Office, Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Mengeš, Slovenia
| | - Primož Treven
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, Institute of Dairy Science and Probiotics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bojana Bogovič Matijašić
- Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, Institute of Dairy Science and Probiotics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Fusco V, Fanelli F, Chieffi D. Authenticity of probiotic foods and dietary supplements: A pivotal issue to address. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2021; 62:6854-6871. [PMID: 33819118 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2021.1907300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The market of probiotic foods and supplements is growing rapidly but frequently the commercialized products are not compliant with their labels in terms of claimed probiotic strain(s) and labeled number of viable probiotic cells, thus mining the authenticity of these probiotic products.In this review, we provide an up-to-date overview of: (i) the current regulatory aspects, (ii) the consistency of probiotic foods and supplements with their labels, (iii) the implications of mislabeling on the quality, safety and functionality of these products and (iv) the available and most promising methods to assess the authenticity of these products, taking into account the need to discriminate among the different physiological states probiotics might be in the carrier matrices. It arises that authenticity of probiotic foods and supplements is an urgent issue, of industrial and legislation relevance, that need to be addressed. A plethora of methods are available to reach this goal, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Protocols that combine the use of propidium monoazide (PMA) with metagenomics or polyphasic approaches including the PMA real time PCR or flow cytometry (for the viability assessment) and the whole genome sequence analysis (for the identification and typing of the probiotic strain) are the most promising that should be standardized and used by producers and regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzina Fusco
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (CNR-ISPA), Bari, Italy
| | - Francesca Fanelli
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (CNR-ISPA), Bari, Italy
| | - Daniele Chieffi
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (CNR-ISPA), Bari, Italy
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