Health4Cardio EE-LV00035
Period: 01.10.2023-30.09.2025
Programme priority: Jointly and smartly growing businesses
Specific objective: 2.1: Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments
Summary
Health4Cardio is a cross-border cooperation project between BioCC OÜ (Estonia) and SISTEMU INOVACIJAS JSC – Si Biotech (Latvia). The project’s focus is to use cross-border knowledge transfer to improve the partners’ capacity to develop a prototype of an innovative new dietary supplement. The partners have their own individual strengths and expertise in production and distribution. BioCC works with high qualitative lactic acid bacteria cultures and is competent in conducting clinical trials with probiotics and functional foods, whereas Si Biotech is specialized in the extraction of natural substances using modern and green extraction methods, (CO2 supercritical fluid extraction) both for research and production. The common challenge is to find a technological solution to combine a clinically researched and patented probiotic bacteria strain with sea-buckthorn (Hippiophae rhamnoides) seed oil and find a suitable delivery form to determine health benefits for cardiovascular- and gut health.
Objectives
- Finding an innovative technology for the combination of two health-beneficial ingredients to develop a synergistic dietary supplement prototype using the in-house competencies of both partners.
- Determining the prototype’s mechanism of action and bioavailability by conducting a preliminary clinical trial.
Results
Completing these actions will create innovative technologies through sharing of knowledge and consequential product development. A jointly developed technology will raise both partners’ competitiveness and growth thanks to cross-border cooperation, knowledge transfer, and innovation.
Total budget: 577 375 €
Financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): 461 900€
Co-financed by the partners: 115 475€
Contact:
Liina Kuus
liina.kuus@biocc.ee
Report Period: 01.02.2024-31.05.2024
Work package 1
During reporting period Project activity – A1.1 “Product prototype development” was complated and A1.2 “Experimental production series and scale-up of production technology” was started.
Accordingly following activities where performed:
a. review of scientific and technical literature on lipid and probiotic characteristics, properties and compatibility in homogenous solution;
b. design of experimental approaches on how to successfully combine lipids with probiotics using mechanical and chemical technics;
c. viability, compatibility and biological activity testing;
d. specification of the new product in development;
e. experimental production series simulation.
Another batch of si biotech sea buckthorn seed lipid extract (SBSLE) was produced exclusively for further developments in the scope of the Health4Cardio project. SBSLE was produced by supercritical fluid extraction with CO2, according to the company’s standard extraction procedure.
In order to develop a stable and biologically active combination of lipid extract with probiotics, it was decided to perform a gentle refinement procedure to purify SBSLE from free fatty acids, phospholipids, pigments, trace elements and oxidation products, which could reduce the viability of probiotics.
The leading partner provided its active ingredient for the combination – a patented probiotic strain, Lactobacillus plantarum Inducia, weight 200g, with a bacterial count of 5 billion CFU per gram.
After reviewing scientific and technical literature and analysing existing products in the market, considering Period 1 findings and conclusions, it was decided that the jointly developed product will contain 1000 mg of active ingredients—SBSLE, bacteria, and emulsifiers. The planned delivery form is a soft-shell capsule, the shell of which will consist of either fish gelatine or plant-based material.
To ensure repeatability, three separate attempts at experimental production were performed. Prepared samples were transferred to 50mL lab tubes. One set was stored at +4°C, the second in a dark, dry place at room temperature, and the third set was sent to leading partner BioCC for viability testing.
The combination’s homogeneity, sedimentation, and precipitation will be monitored, and adjustments in product specification will be made.
Total budget: 577 375 €
Financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): 461 900€
Co-financed by the partners: 115 475€
Contact:
Liina Kuus
liina.kuus@biocc.ee