According to the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics published in 2021, the panel defined a postbiotic as "a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host". Effective postbiotics must contain inactivated microbial cells or cell components (cell walls, exopolysaccharides (EPS), pili, etc.), with or without metabolites (organic acids, peptides, bacteriocins, etc.), that contribute to observed health benefits. Reference: Salminen, S., Collado, M.C., Endo, A. et al. The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 18, 649–667 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6

Lassica K014™ is the trademark for a collection of postbiotics produced by our proprietary probiotic strain called Lactiplantibacillus plantarum K014 (L. plantarum K014), which is isolated from sauerkraut. L. plantarum K014 are fed with a unique combination of prebiotics and substrates during the fermentation process and conditioned to secrete bioactive metabolites that can effectively kill opportunistic microorganisms in our guts and skins, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), that causes food poisoning or skin disorders such as eczema flare-up, cellulitis, abscesses Escherichia coli, that causes diarrhoea due to contaminated food and water Salmonella typhimurium, that causes gastroenteritis Candida albicans, that causes oral thrush, vaginal yeast infection, diaper rash Propionibacterium acnes, that causes acne vulgaris

It is proposed that postbiotics works through five mechanisms to produce the health benefits: Modulation of resident microbiota Enhancement of epithelial barrier function Modulation of local immune responses Modulation of systemic metabolic responses Systemic signalling via the nervous system Reference: Salminen, S., Collado, M.C., Endo, A. et al. The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 18, 649–667 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6

The scientific community believes that the ability of a postbiotic to mediate a health effect in the hosts, generally, is similar to those known for probiotics. Data from human studies are limited thus far, however, the health benefits of postbiotics in gut health and immune health have been clearly demonstrated in numerous clinical trials around the world. Our in-vivo study shows that postbiotic Lassica K014™ significantly promotes the growth of good bacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the gut, and lowers the colonisation of bad microorganisms including E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. This demonstrates the ability of postbiotic to restore the gut microbiota balance, and its potential to prevent the development of diseases caused by dysbiosis (gut microbiota imbalance). Besides, healthy microbiome has been found to play critical roles in the training and development of major components of the host's innate and adpative immune system. The interplay between our microbiota and our immune system helps to keep our immunity healthy. In short, maintaining a healthy microbiome helps in our gut health and immune health.

Prebiotics are a group of nutrients that are selectively utilised by probiotics in the fermentation process to promote their growth and activity. Prebiotics occur naturally in many plant-based foods, such as onions, garlic, chickpeas, lentils, barley and oats. If you think of fermentation process as a factory, the prebiotics are the fuel that keeps the factory running. Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Common bacteria found in probiotics are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. When referring to the factory analogy, probiotics are the workers in the factory, producing beneficial metabolites. Postbiotics, on the other hand, are the inanimate probiotics and/or components including metabolites produced by the fermentation process. A clear distinction between probiotics and postbiotics is that probiotics consist of living microorganisms, while postbiotics are non-living, although still effective. Using the factory analogy, they are the end-result (the metabolites) that comes out of the factory.

Postbiotics offer several advantages over probiotics, which make them an appealing option in certain scenarios:

Postbiotics are generally safe for consumption. Postbiotics could reasonably be expected to have a better safety profile than probiotics, because the microorganisms they contain have lost the capacity to replicate and therefore cannot cause bacteraemia or fungaemia, risks that are associated with probiotic administration (albeit extremely rare). However, postbiotics cannot be presumed to be safe solely based on the safety profile of the progenitor microorganism. Therefore, an assessment of safety for the intended use for any postbiotic is needed prior to use. Our acute oral toxicity test shows that Lassica K014™ is perfectly safe for consumption even at the dose of 450 times higher than our recommended dose. We have undergone cytotoxicity test to assure its safety profile on external use too.

While postbiotics show promise in supporting gut health and potentially reducing the need for antibiotics in some cases, they are not a direct replacement for antibiotics. Antibiotics are necessary for treating bacterial infections, but postbiotics can help restore gut health after antibiotic use.

Postbiotics are increasingly found on commercial products, primarily due to factors: Product Stability One important factor driving commerical interest in postbiotics is their inherent stability, both during industrial processes and storage. Maintaining stability of live microorganisms is a technological challenge as many probiotic organisms are sensitive to oxygen and heat, but products with a long shelf life can be readily achieved for inanimate microorganisms. For the majority of products with a long shelf life, probiotic die-off is inevitable during storage. Postbiotics might also be more suited than probiotics to geographical regions that do not have reliable cold chains or whose ambient temperature causes problems for storage of live microorganisms. Responsible probiotic manufacturers often formulate their products with substantial overages to ensure that the labelled count of viable cells is met at the end of its shelf life. Even if such overages are not used, the live to dead ratio of a probiotic product can change substantially over the course of its shelf life. Intellectual Property Protection Another possible advantage of products devoid of live microorganisms is that the microorganisms from which the postbiotic is derived cannot be isolated from the commercial product, thereby enabling product developers to maintain ownership of their ingredients. This enables the product owners and holders to better protect your brand IP and prevent 'copycats'. Safety Postbiotics could reasonably be expected to have a better safety profile than probiotics, because the microorganisms they contain have lost the capacity to replicate and therefore cannot cause bacteraemia or fungaemia, risks that are associated with probiotic administration (albeit extremely rare). Reference: Salminen, S., Collado, M.C., Endo, A. et al. The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 18, 649–667 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6

Not only humans can benefit from postbiotic, but also pets and livestock including poultry, ducks, fish and other animals.

The site of action for postbiotics is not limited to the gut. Postbiotics can be administered at a host surface, such as the oral cavity, gut, skin, urogenital tract or nasopharynx. Injections are outside the scope of postbiotics. Lassica K014™ postbiotics are available in both supplement/food grade and skincare grade.