Probiotics offer numerous health benefits, including digestive and immune health. Improved digestive health is linked to a more efficient absorption of important nutrients from our diet. This review focused on the rationale of using the probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 to aid protein absorption and utilization. B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 can withstand the acidic environment of the stomach to reach the intestine where it germinates. Once active in the small intestine after germination, it has been shown to aid the digestion of carbohydrates and proteins. Co-administration of B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 with protein has been shown to increase protein absorption and to maximize the health benefits associated with protein supplementation.

Daily consumption of BC30 by adults aged 65-80 y can increase beneficial groups of bacteria in the human gut and potentially increase production of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This study shows the potential benefits of a probiotic to improve dysbiosis via modulation of the microbiota in older persons.

We have investigated the survival and activity of GanedenBC(30) during passage through the upper gastro-intestinal tract. GanedenBC(30) was tested in a dynamic, validated, in vitro model of the stomach and small intestine (TIM-1) on survival and its potential to aid in digestion of milk protein, lactose and fructose. The survival of GanedenBC(30) was high (70%), although germination of the spores was minimal (<10%) under the conditions tested. Survival of the strain in the presence of lactose and fructose was markedly lower (56-59%) than in the absence of the sugars. The amount of digested milk protein available for absorption was somewhat higher (+0.2 g) when GanedenBC(30) was added to the milk. When GanedenBC(30) was tested with lactose or fructose added to the meal, the cumulative amount of lactate produced was slightly higher (+0.12-0.18 mmol) compared to the GanedenBC(30) alone. In conclusion, although the differences in survival of GanedenBC(30) are small, these results show the potential of GanedenBC(30) to aid in protein digestion and in the digestion of lactose and fructose. If a larger fraction of the Bacillus coagulans cells had germinated, the influence on protein and carbohydrate digestion would probably have been much greater. Importance of the findings: the potential of GanedenBC(30) to aid in the digestion of lactose and fructose could be used to prevent occurrence of intestinal symptoms in individuals sensitive to these carbohydrates.

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The aim of this study was to assess the potential of the probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 [GanedenBC] (BC30) to aid in protein digestion of alimentary plant proteins. To test this, three plant proteins, from pea, soy and rice, were digested in a validated in vitro model of the stomach and small intestine (TIM-1) in the absence and in the presence of BC30. Samples were taken from the TIM-1 fractions that mimic uptake of amino acids by the host and analysed for α-amino nitrogen (AAN) and total nitrogen (TN). Both were increased by BC30 for all three plant proteins sources. The ratio of TN/AAN indicated that for pea protein digestion was increased by BC30, but the degree of polymerisation of the liberated small peptides and free amino acids was not changed. For soy and rice, however, BC30 showed a 2-fold reduction in the TN/AAN ratio, indicating that the liberated digestion products formed during digestion in the presence of BC30 were shorter peptides and more free amino acids, than those liberated in the absence of BC30. As BC30 increased protein digestion and uptake in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it consequently also reduced the amount of protein that would be delivered to the colon, which could there be fermented into toxic metabolites by the gut microbiota. Thus, the enhanced protein digestion by BC30 showed a dual benefit: enhanced amino acid bioavailability from plant proteins in the upper GI tract, and a healthier environment in the colon.