Blog 4 How do we produce this Product?

How do we produce this Product?

In the lectures we have began to really dive into the bioprocess process and what is required for a successful fermentation and bioprocess. I feel like this level of information isn’t of much use to our group in terms of our product but it is the starting blocks of most industrial productions. The choosing of a cell line does relate to us as any old bacteria won’t be suitable for probiotic use, but inclusion bodies and their removal does not seem to affect us.

As mentioned before probiotics and vitamins will be the components of our functional food. Which after very little deliberation we have decided will be a beverage. In line with Actimel type products our beverage will be easily consumed in one sitting and will have all the necessary components suspended in it. After researching, in conjunction with Aidans project on functional foods, we discovered a hidden gem in probiotic deliverance. Kefir Grains.

Kefir grains are a group of Lactic Acid Bacteria that thrive in a matrix that gives the complexion of grain. In recent years there has been a jump in the interest and research into Kefir grains and they are known to promote a healthy digestive system.

That was about all we knew about it until Barry introduced us to Pub Med, the mecca of research papers. This really was the beginning of our product, were we now had concrete research to indicate that Kefir grains were a viable product. It was also a good source of information on how to make/grow the grains, as the only other information available was through “Do It Yourself” websites. Fortunately with this coinciding with Aidan thesis we had an expert at hand in the form of his supervisor who could advise him on the use of probiotics and even Kefir grains themselves.

 Our thoughts on the probiotic functional food were that through competitive exclusion, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that our beverage would prevent the onset of GI disorders and by lining the intestines cover any defects to keep the diseases in remission.

With Aidan choosing this to be the basis of his thesis it was a great opportunity to attempt the product on a small scale. It also made any problems which could arise in fermentation very obvious in a real time situation.