The Evolution of Gut Health

Consumer awareness around maintaining good 'gut health' is on the rise. According to the market research company Mintel, internet searches for the term are up 669% from 2019. This was also counted pre COVID-19, which saw a considerable increase is consumers looking for functional food and drink. While in-depth scientific research on microbiome and interventions such as pre- and probiotics is still in the early stages, consumer understanding is nevertheless on the rise.

What is currently known about a healthy gut?

Research being conducted into microbiome health and the impact of interventions such as probiotics is exciting, and gaining momentum, as consumers strive to learn more about the topic. However, there is not yet a clear understanding of what a healthy microbiome should look like. Currently, evidence suggests that a healthy microbiome is a diverse microbiome, with diversity appearing to have a positive effect on a variety of disease outcomes later in life. 

One of the most tried-and-tested microbiome interventions is probiotics. Scientists believe the key to their success is regular consumption. A consistent finding of the research is that probiotics have a temporary effect, as microbiome is not changed forever. However, regular consumption is not the only challenge consumers face when taking a source of probiotics. As it stands, the majority of research into probiotics is on 'live' microorganisms. This means that it is vital to ensure that microorganisms reach the patient or consumer in the right form, so that it's still viable.

PERKii's Micro Encapsulation Technology

So how does PERKii ensure the Lactobacillus Casei and Bifidobacterium probiotics in our drinks, make it to your gut alive? We use technology developed at the University of Queensland called, PROGEL™, to coat our probiotics, effectively armour-plating them against the stomach acids while also providing a form of prebiotics in their organic seaweed-derived covering. Activated at a microscopic level, this means we can make our probiotics undetectable to taste and ensure more living probiotics make it to the gut where they provide the most benefit. 

Watch this space as scientists strive to learn more about the gut, and what consumers can do to create a healthy microbiome. For the full article by Food Navigator, click this link. Feel free to reach out through our socials, email hello@perkii.com or jump over to our homepage and ask our friendly chatbot Steve, for any questions relating to PERKii, gut health or probiotics.