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Probiotic Strains

Unique Probiotic Strains

SiliCycle and Shaman Extraction offer two exclusive probiotic strains that show remarkable health benefits, including the protective effect of their bacteriocins against pathogenic bacteria:
Lactococcus lactis MJC18
Pediococcus acidilactici UL5

Probiotics

According to the World Health Organization, probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that provide health benefits when administered in adequate amounts.

These good microorganisms play a vital role in the gut ecosystem’s balance. Probiotics include many strains of bacteria (i.e Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus, Bifdobacterium, etc.), all of them having unique and particular properties.

Promoting Human Health

Probiotics for human health

The human body contains more microbial cells than human cells, and they are mainly located in the gastro-intestinal tract. They constitute the « gut microbiota », playing a major role in human health ; 80 % of our immune system is located in this region.

An impairment of the gut microbiota’s complex equilibrium caused by various factors (new environment, antibiotic treatment, diet changes, etc.) could give pathogenic (bad) bacteria like E.coli, Salmonella or Listeria opportunities to grow and cause various health issues.

Probiotic bacteria, after ingestion, pass through the gastro-intestinal tract and colonize the gut, thereby helping the gut microbiota’s equilibrium. By having the ability to help colonizing bacteria in human gut, probiotics allow to fight and keep away bad and omnipresent bacteria.

Consequently, it has been demonstrated that probiotics help prevent and relieve many health issues like acute diarrhea and irritable bower syndrome, among others.

Probiotics Against Pathogenic Bacteria

1. Probiotics improve gut epithelium's integrity and its barrier role against unwanted microorganisms' invasion by competitively attaching on the GI tract mucosa.

2. Some probiotics can actively fight against pathogenic bacteria by producing natural antimicrobial substances like organic acids and bacteriocins.

3. When orally ingested, probiotics start colonizing the gut (with other good naturally occurring bacteria), by using the surrounding nutrients available in the gut lumen and, eventually, leave no space and energy supply to pathogenic bacteria to grow and adhere on the epithelium of the GI tract.

Probiotics Against Pathogenic Bacteria

Bacteriocins: What Sets SiliCycle's Probiotic Strains apart

Bacteriocins are proteinaceous molecules (composed of amino acids) naturally produced by some strains of bacteria that exhibit a strong inhibitory effect against specific bacteria, including some pathogenic ones.

SiliCycle's Lactococcus lactis MJC18 produce nizin Z and Pediococcus acidilactici UL5 produce pediocin PA-1, two bacteriocins which have been proved to inhibit different pathogenic bacteria:

Nisin Z has a very strong activity against a wide range of Gram+ foodborne pathogen bacteria
Pediocin PA-1 has a very strong activity against the potentially dangerous Listeria monocytogenes pathogenic bacteria.

Nisin Z and Pediocin PA-1 are natural and GRAS (FDA's Generally Recognized As Safe designation) substances.