PROBIOTICS DATABASE
Bacillus coagulans is a microbial species belonging to the genus Bacillus. B. coagulans bacteria are gram positive, rod shaped and can survive in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The species was as known as ‘Lactobacillus sporogenes’ due to the spore forming ability but has since been classified to Bacillus coagulans.
B. coagulans is well known for its spore forming ability, the spores can survive harsh conditions including high temperatures, acidity and pressures. This unique quality has gained this hardy microbe attention in the probiotic field. Many probiotics belonging to the lactic acid bacteria group can struggle to reach the gut alive, so additional encapsulation technologies may be required, or only very robust strains used, in supplements. B. coagulans spores have been shown to successfully pass through the stomach and germinate in the small intestine (Cao et al., 2020). The spores also allow for a variety of probiotic formats to be used, which lactobacillus or bifidobacterium species could not tolerate; for example in gummies.
B. coagulans strains share a much higher similarity than traditional lactic acid bacteria probiotics e.g. Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, where there are clear strain specific properties and benefits. Despite the strains being very similar, there are likely elements of strain specificity within B. coagulans due to the different genomes. Overall, B. coagulans strains have been shown to produce lactic acid, bacteriocins, digestive enzymes, short chain fatty acids and vitamins (Konuray and Erginkaya, 2018; Cao et al., 2020). The microbe therefore has a lot of potential to support human health and wellbeing. Strain specific studies have been conducted with very promising results.
Read more about the strain that we have included from this genus below;
Cao, J. et al. (2020) ‘Probiotic characteristics of Bacillus coagulans and associated implications for human health and diseases’, Journal of Functional Foods, 64. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2019.103643.
Konuray, G. and Erginkaya, Z. (2018) ‘Potential Use of Bacillus coagulans in the Food Industry’, Foods, 7(6), p. 92. doi: 10.3390/foods7060092.