Spotlight on the Compositional Quality of Probiotic Formulations Marketed Worldwide

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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Poor chemical and microbiological quality of the commercial milk thistle-based dietary supplements may account for their reported unsatisfactory and non-reproducible clinical outcomes

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-47250-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Marie Fenclova ◽

Alena Novakova ◽

Jitka Viktorova ◽

Petra Jonatova ◽

Zbynek Dzuman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Supplements ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Milk Thistle ◽

Commercial Milk

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Dietary Supplements on Controlling Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and Relapses: Current Clinical Evidence and Future Perspectives

Medicines ◽

10.3390/medicines6030095 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 95 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christina Tryfonos ◽

Maria Mantzorou ◽

Dimitris Fotiou ◽

Michael Vrizas ◽

Konstantinos Vadikolias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Life Expectancy ◽

Dietary Supplements ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Clinical Indication ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Pubmed Database

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) constitutes a chronic progressive demyelinating disease which negatively affects the central nervous system. MS symptoms detrimentally affect the quality of life, as well as the life expectancy of MS patients. In this aspect, the present study aims to critically summarize and evaluate the currently available clinical studies focusing on the potential beneficial effects of dietary supplements on controlling MS symptomatology and relapse. Methods: PubMed database was comprehensively searched, using relative keywords to identify clinical trials that investigated the beneficial effects of dietary supplementation against MS symptomatology and progression. 40 clinical trials were found, which were divided into categories. Results: Nutritional status of MS patients, as well as supplementation have been suggested as potential factors affecting progression. Several substantial studies have documented a systematically high prevalence of vitamin A, B12 and D3 deficiency amongst MS patients. At present, clinical data have suggested that most of the dietary supplements under study may exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, improving depression symptomatology and quality of life overall. However, malnutrition risk in MS patients has not been adequately explored in order for more precise conclusions to be drawn. The supplements that may have a positive effect on MS are vitamins, fatty acids, antioxidants, phytochemicals and melatonin. Conclusions: Several dietary supplements may decrease inflammation and fatigue, also increasing also autoimmunity tolerance in MS patients, and thus improving quality of life and life expectancy. Currently, there is no effective clinical indication for applying dietary supplementation as complementary treatment against MS symptomatology.

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Microbiological quality of probiotic dietary supplements

Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment ◽

10.1080/13102818.2019.1621208 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 834-841 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Viktoria Yonkova Marinova ◽

Iliyana Kirilova Rasheva ◽

Yoana Krasimirova Kizheva ◽

Yordanka Dimitrova Dermenzhieva ◽

Petya Koitcheva Hristova

Keyword(s):

Dietary Supplements ◽

Microbiological Quality

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Quality of raw milk in the highland tropics of Nariño, Colombia

Agronomía Mesoamericana ◽

10.15517/am.v31i3.40892 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 695-707

Author(s):

Magaly Elizabeth Tobar-Delgado ◽

José Luis Rodríguez-Bautista ◽

Rocio Esperanza Patiño-Burbano ◽

Francisco Emilio Argote-Vega ◽

Edwin Castro-Rincón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Level ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Raw Milk ◽

Total Coliform ◽

Collection Site ◽

Transport Time ◽

Milk Samples ◽

Compositional Quality ◽

Collection Point

Introduction. The production and commercialization of raw milk in Nariño, Colombia, follows microbiological and compositional standards on which payment for quality is made. However, quality can be affected during its transport after milking. Objective. To describe the microbiological and compositional quality of raw milk in the highland tropic. Materials and methods. The study was carried out in seven municipalities in the department of Nariño, Colombia, during the rainy season between February and July of 2017. Two milk samples from the same milk can were collected, one after milking (farm; n = 10), and the second at the collection point (tank; n = 10). In each sample, the following variables were evaluated: height above the sea level of the collection site, aerobic mesophilic count (CFU), total coliform count (COL), milk temperature, fat (FAT), protein (PC) and total solids (TS). Results. The temperature of the milk was higher on the farm compared to the tank (30±0.68 vs. 23±0.87 °C, respectively). The aerobic mesophilic count was higher in the tank vs. farm (116,470 vs. 41,388 CFU ml-1, respectively). The temperature of the milk was negatively correlated with the distance and the transport time of the milk (-0.86 and -0.84, respectively). The compositional quality of the milk was not affected by transport conditions. Conclusion. In the high tropic conditions, the microbiological quality of raw milk was negatively affected by the increase in the aerobic mesophilic counts.

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Quality of Dietary Supplements Containing Plant-Derived Ingredients Reconsidered by Microbiological Approach

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17186837 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (18) ◽

pp. 6837

Author(s):

Magdalena Ratajczak ◽

Dorota Kaminska ◽

Agata Światły-Błaszkiewicz ◽

Jan Matysiak

Keyword(s):

Dietary Supplements ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Sick People ◽

Consumer Safety ◽

Wide Range ◽

Microbial Contaminants

Dietary supplements cover a wide range of products, the most popular are those containing plant-based ingredients. Supplements are consumed by consumers of all ages as well as by both healthy and sick people. The lack of unified regulation in this sector increases the probability that supplements are poor chemical and microbiological quality and can be dangerous for patients. The aim of this paper is to highlight selected issues associated with the microbiological quality of dietary supplements containing plant materials. We focus on the most recent reports referring to bacterial and fungal contaminations as well as the presence of mycotoxins. Dietary supplements containing plant ingredients commonly show a variety of microbial contaminants, which might be crucial for consumer safety. They often contain microorganisms potentially pathogenic to humans. Metabolites produced by microorganisms may pose a threat to the health of consumers. Because of that, in this review, we emphasize the risk that may be associated with the lack of appropriate studies of the quality of the supplements.

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A Comprehensive Review on Nutraceuticals

International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research ◽

10.47583/ijpsrr.2021.v68i02.021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 68 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Dr.S. Ruby ◽

S. Prakash ◽

V.Pradeep Kumar ◽

T.Praveen Kumar ◽

S. Prathab

Keyword(s):

Dietary Supplements ◽

Functional Foods ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Indian Government ◽

Herbal Products ◽

Major Health ◽

Optimal Health ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Key Terms

Nutraceuticals have received considerable interest because of their presumed safety. Nutraceuticals are food or part of food that provides medical or health benefits including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease. These nutraceuticals help in combating some of the major health problems of the century such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol etc. Nutraceutical has advantage over the medicine because they avoid side effect, have naturally dietary supplement, etc. Nutraceutical on the basis of their natural source, chemical grouping, categories into three key terms –nutrients, herbals, dietary supplements, etc. The most rapidly growing segments of the industry were dietary supplements (19.5 percent per year) and natural/herbal products (11.6 percent per year). Global nutraceutical market is estimated as USD 404.8billion by 2025. FDA regulated dietary supplements as foods to ensure that they were safe. In 2006, the Indian government passed Food Safety and Standard Act to regulate the nutraceutical industry. Herbal nutraceutical is used as a powerful instrument in maintaining health and to act against nutritionally induced acute and chronic diseases, thereby promoting optimal health, longevity, and quality of life. The Present article focuses on the need for adhere to the known healthy eating models, development of new nutraceuticals/functional foods/food supplements with novel health benefits, elucidation mechanisms of action of these products, to define the comprehensive aspects of nutraceutical. This article may act as a tool to abreast with the recent developments in nutraceutical research.

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Safety and Quality of Nutraceuticals: Have FSSAI Guidelines been Able to Blaze the Trail?

Applied Clinical Research Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs ◽

10.2174/2213476x07666200825193259 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 177-196

Author(s):

Payal Dande ◽

Purva Samant ◽

Yashita Singh ◽

Umang Sheth

Keyword(s):

Dietary Supplements ◽

Functional Foods ◽

Management Practices ◽

Health Management ◽

Major Change ◽

Regulatory Body ◽

Regulatory Guidelines ◽

Entry Requirements ◽

Major Factors

The nutraceutical industry has three main segments, including herbal/- natural products, dietary supplements and functional foods. The dietary supplements market is preliminarily driven by the paradigm shift towards preventive health management practices, amid rising healthcare costs and increasing burden of lifestyle diseases. Rise in healthcare expenditure, increased usage of nutraceuticals product as a substitute to prescription and OTC drugs and augmented demand for the nutritional diet are the major factors driving the global nutraceuticals market. Many individual laws were devised to govern its manufacturing and sale. However, increasing regulatory formalities from multiple agencies and laws, complicate the development, testing and marketing of these substances and hamper the growth of the nutraceutical market. Globally, the regulatory authorities are aware of the changing needs of consumers and proactively protect consumers by amending existing laws to accommodate changes. Market entry requirements of nutraceuticals, functional foods and supplements vary from country to country. The global regulatory guidelines aim at regulating various aspects of the nutraceutical and dietary supplements market, focusing on its manufacture, testing, labeling, sale and registration to assure safety and quality of the product. The major change that was introduced was the ban on marketing Nutraceuticals as medicinal products. This review has been performed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the global regulatory requirements with critical analysis of the Indian regulatory guidelines to explore the lacunae and suggest the need of further amendments in the form of recommendations that can be incorporated into regulatory body guidelines to make it more competitive for national & international trade.

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Microbiological analysis of raw edible insects

Journal of Insects as Food and Feed ◽

10.3920/jiff2016.0004 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 7-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

N.T. Grabowski ◽

G. Klein

Keyword(s):

Galleria Mellonella ◽

Microbiological Quality ◽

Acheta Domesticus ◽

Blood Agar ◽

Microbiological Analysis ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Food Hygiene ◽

Coagulase Negative Staphylococci ◽

Microbial Identification

Relatively little is known about the microbiological quality of edible insects. In Germany, living insects are also bought from pet shops, rededicating thus a feedstuff to a foodstuff. A preliminary survey was conducted to assess the microbiological quality of these animals. Samples of raw insects (Acheta domesticus, Gryllus assimilis, Gryllus bimaculatus, Locusta migratoria, Blabtica dubia, Galleria mellonella, Chilecomadia moorei, Pachnoda marginata, Tenebrio molitor, Zophobas atratus, and Apis mellifera) from pet shops were analysed using classical food hygiene parameters (total aerobial mesophilic bacterial count (TBC), Enterobacteriaceae count (EC), staphylococci (SC), bacilli (BC), yeasts and moulds counts (YMC), salmonellae, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes). They were also inoculated on blood agar for specific microbial identification. Merged samples were taken from living animals (n=39), dead ones (n=7), and the bedding material (n=16) of the boxes they were sold in. Geometric means per species variedbetween 5.7 and 7.5 (TBC), 5.5 and 7.3 (EC), ≤6.1 (SC), ≤5.6 (YMC), and 3.5 and 7.2 lg cfu/g (BC), each displaying a individual microbial pattern. Dead animal values ranged above those of living ones, while bedding materials’ values could be higher or lower. From blood agar plates, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae (typically Proteus spp. and Serratia liquefaciens), pseudomonads and fungi (e.g. Candida albicans, Issatchenkia orientalis, Geotrichum spp.) were isolated. All samples were free of salmonellae, E. coli, L. monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, complying thus with the food hygiene criteria recently issued by Belgium and the Netherlands. Process hygiene criteria however were not met entirely due to elevated TBC and EC. These high bacterial counts and the presence of many (opportunistic) pathogenic and spoiling agents found also typically in other foodstuffs create the need to heat insects thoroughly before consumption.

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