OptiBiotix Health plc (LON:OPTI) said it was pleased with the scientific and commercial interest around presentations made to an industry conference held in Copenhagen last week.
The company, which is developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes, provided three separate updates at ProBiota, an event for the prebiotic, probiotic and the microbiome-focused food and pharma industries.
READ: OptiBiotix Health reveals commercial traction for its innovative new products
A study of the SweetBiotix revealed the sweetener product to be less bitter with fewer “off-flavours” than Stevia, the current best in class.
More importantly, researchers found it to have a microbiome modulating effect.
The microbiome in the gut helps digest food, produces certain vitamins, regulates the immune system, and protects against disease-causing bacteria.
“Whilst previous studies have demonstrated that these fibres have high sweetness and no aftertaste, this is the first study to demonstrate a positive effect on the microbiome,” OptiBiotix explained.
“This creates a clear differentiator to other sweeteners on the market and an opportunity to replace unhealthy sugars with healthy fibres in a range of food and beverage products and as an ingredient in its own right.”
OptiBiotix also presented data on the antimicrobial activity of its Lactobacillius Plantarum LPLDL bacteria, which is being developed to reduce cholesterol.
Research carried out by the University of Reading showed it also worked against a wide range of pathogens, including Salmonella, E.coli O157, and, significantly, Clostridium difficile.
This may have the potential to widen LPLDL's commercial opportunities to include gut health and the prevention of traveller's diarrhoea, OptiBiotix said.
Attendees at the Copenhagen conference were also furnished with results from a weight loss trial carried out by Roehampton University using Slimbiome.
This revealed the product had an impact on satiety (feeling full), weight loss and gut microbiome composition in overweight and obese women.
OptiBiotix chief executive Stephen O'Hara said: “These studies, and the publications and presentations at internationally renowned events, are part of a strategy of developing microbiome products with a strong scientific and clinical evidence base with key opinion leader support.
“This provides clear product differentiation which can be translated into evidence-based product consumer claims.”