HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF POSTBIOTIC „BIBIOTIC“

Ing. Emil Velkov – founder of the company „EKOKOM Group“ Ltd., which established the bioenterprise „AUTOBIOTIC“ for the production of innovative postbiotics „bibiotic“.

For 30 years, Eng. Emil Velkov has been managing a business for the development and implementation of technologies, equipment and starter cultures in dairy processing, and for 10 years for the production of probiotic and postbiotic products.

INTRODUCTION

ECOCOM Group was established in 1996. It is engaged in the development and implementation of technologies, equipment and starter cultures for the production of various dairy products. It has developed dozens of technologies and a huge assortment of equipment and starter cultures, which have been implemented in hundreds of dairy processing plants at home and abroad. In 2012, the company established a bio-enterprise „AUTOBIOTIC“ in the town. In 2012, the company established the „AUTOBIOTIOBE“ plant in Pleven for the production of probiotic dairy products. In 2017, a laboratory and production facility, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, was established in the bioenterprise „AUTOBIOTIC“ for the development and production of various probiotic products. In 2018, the development of a new type of „biotic“ product, namely POSTBIOTIC, began. After 5 years of hard work, in 2023, the preparation POSTBIOTIC with t.m. „bibiotic“ was launched on the market.

How it all started

It all started in 1996. We had a dairy in the Vidin region. The production of dairy products is a biotechnological process in which different dairy products are produced with the help of different lactic acid bacteria. The process is as predictable as it is capricious. Capricious because bacteria, just like humans, are very capricious. If they don’t like something, they stop working and the dairy product doesn’t end up being of the desired quality. And that’s a real challenge. Learning to create the right conditions for the bacteria to grow, to understand them, to feel them, if you will, even to communicate with them. And we fell in love with milk processing technology. And in these invisible to the naked eye living creatures on which almost everything depends, not only in dairy farming, but in nature.

Probiotics – clinical studies

In 2015, our company decided to expand into the production of probiotics for animals. For this purpose, we created three different multi-species probiotics and hired a professional team of veterinary research assistants to conduct clinical trials on their effectiveness, on the health and growth of different animals, such as piglets, pigs, chickens, hens, rabbits, lambs, calves. After a year and a half of clinical trials and a serious financial investment, we received the efficacy results, which showed that probiotics had no effect on the animals. And when we asked ourselves why, the answer came naturally. Because animals have evolved in such a way that no foreign bacteria from „outside“ can survive „inside“ their bodies. Otherwise, they simply wouldn’t be there.

For example, we all know what conditions pigs live in and that they can eat spoiled and contaminated food that is full of all sorts of harmful micro-organisms and so on. And herbivores that graze on grass contaminated with all sorts of things? And the chickens that peck at everything in sight? But they don’t get sick and they don’t get dysentery. And they are alive and well. Therefore, any bacteria „foreign“ to them are not developing in their system.

Well, if bacteria foreign to them can’t develop in their system, why do we expect the probiotic bacteria contained in the probiotic, which are also foreign to them, to develop? Of course they shouldn’t develop. Only, and only, their own bacteria develop in their body.

In humans, things are analogous. The harmful bacteria that we ingest in uncooked products, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, raw or raw-dried fish and meat products, do not make us sick either. That is, they also do not develop in our body. We have also evolved so that no foreign bacteria „from outside“ can persist „inside“ our body. In our organism, also, only and only, our own bacteria evolve.

Another example. If we consume spoiled food that has a lot of harmful microorganisms in it, we will get intestinal ulcers. But it is not from the harmful microorganisms developing in our body, but from the harmful toxic substances they have produced in the spoiled food. That is why it is spoiled. But after a day or two, the spoilage will disappear because the body will detoxify and the harmful microorganisms, being foreign, will be suppressed and destroyed by the immune system and in a day or two – they will be thrown out of our body. If the harmful microorganisms were to develop in our body, the trichiasis would never pass, because as they develop, they will constantly produce toxic substances and the body will not be able to detoxify itself. Therefore, they do not develop in our body.

And here the conclusion is the same. Foreign microorganisms, including the probiotic bacteria contained in probiotics, cannot develop in our body.

Of course, every rule has exceptions. In nature, there are various extremely aggressive microorganisms that the immune system can hardly or not at all fight off. They manage to displace our own bacteria and develop in the body in their place. Thus, the balance in the microbiota is disturbed and bacterial or fungal infections occur. Vaccines and antibiotics were created to overcome these conditions. But that is another topic.

Gut microbiota and probiotic

We’ve all heard of the gut microbiota (formerly „microflora“) and the billions of beneficial bacteria in it. But we don’t all know what these beneficial bacteria do in our bodies and how they help us. The answer is as complex as it is simple. Our beneficial bacteria break down nutrients in our gut that have not been broken down by our enzymes, converting them into other substances called metabolites. They have their own enzymes to do this. With some of these metabolites they „feed“, with some they „communicate“ with each other, with some they „protect“ their population from other gut bacteria, with some they help to promote the well-being of their symbiotic „neighbors“. And the rest provide to us, assisting in the well-being of the organism that hosts them and in return for the food and warmth provided to them. And this is their primary function. To produce metabolites. And it is these metabolites, not the bacteria themselves, that bring benefits to the body. Metabolites are various extremely valuable biologically active substances without which we cannot exist, as without water, food, air and gravity.

The task of probiotics is the same. The probiotic bacteria contained in probiotics, when exposed to the favorable conditions in our gut, must produce metabolites to both increase and protect their population and contribute to the well-being of the host organism.

However, in order to develop and produce metabolites, they must take up residence in our gut. And not anywhere, but in the biofilm, which is located on the lining of the epithelium and where our own bacteria live. There is simply no other place where they can settle. The biofilm completely covers our gut from the inside. But our own (resident) microbiota and local immune system prevent any foreign microorganisms from settling in it. There is no way it could be otherwise. Otherwise, the biofilm would be constantly colonized by all sorts of different microorganisms that would continually upset the balance of our gut ecosystem. And in our body, to be healthy, as in nature, everything must be balanced. And the fate of ingested probiotic bacteria is like that of all foreign microorganisms – to transit through the lumen of our gut and be naturally expelled from our body. Usually within 1-2 days. Moreover, once our immune system recognizes the foreign microorganisms, our whole organism, with all its mechanisms, starts fighting against them. As in the case of transplantation of donated organs and tissues. As a result, the organism will have a bacteriostatic effect on a large part of them and inhibit them, i.e. stop their growth and multiplication, and on another part, it will have a bacteriocidal effect, i.e. destroy them.

The few probiotic bacteria that nevertheless manage to pass active through our intestinal tract, and for the short time of their transit, will fail to produce the sufficient amount of metabolites needed to contribute substantial benefits to the body. And the probiotic’s effect on health will be minimal, or nonexistent.

Postbiotic – a new approach to microbiota therapy

In 2016, the company came up with the idea to develop a product in which the drawbacks of probiotics would be absent. This led to the concept of providing the body, instead of live probiotic bacteria struggling to produce metabolites in the unfavourable conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, with the metabolites they produce directly. Only produced outside the body, in ideal production conditions, in optimal nutritional environments and without fighting any immune system and miscellaneous other bacteria. In addition to metabolites, however, the idea was born to provide the body with inactivated, i.e. deliberately killed probiotic cells of bacterial strains, also called „lysates“, because they also contain extremely useful biologically active substances for the body.

This is how the concept of developing and producing the postbiotic „bibiotic“ came about. The term ‘postbiotic’ is a combination of the term ‘post’, a prefix meaning ‘after’, and the term ‘biotic’, defined as ‘relating to or arising from living organisms’. Together, these two terms define the meaning of the term postbiotic, as „after life“. And the logo bibiotic, is a combination of the prefix „bi“, meaning double, and the term „biotic“, i.e. double biotic, because the postbiotic „bibiotic“ contains both the metabolites and the lysates of the probiotic bacteria that produced them.

In 2017, we set up a laboratory and production facility at AUTOBIOTIC bio-enterprise, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, for the development and production of postbiotic products.

It took us about a year to work out the technology, but more than 4 years to perfect the product and make it actually work. The main problem was that the product was new, innovative and without analogue. Without practical experience and even theoretical knowledge of its production. Everything was done by trial and error. It was difficult, but on the other hand – a real challenge. Therefore, when the first positive results appeared, the satisfaction was indescribable.

Postbiotic „bibiotic“

The postbiotic „bibiotic“ is produced in special bioreactor units where we cultivate selected intestinal probiotic strains in specially prepared culture media containing all the nutrients necessary for their development. In the bioreactor units, the optimal conditions for the bacterial population are maintained, such as temperature, an oxygen-free environment, a certain concentration of carbon dioxide, stirring frequency, etc. There, using various technological techniques and tactics, we make the probiotic strains produce both the maximum possible variety and the maximum possible amount of metabolites. For example, we feed them a certain amount of time, we keep them hungry a certain amount of time, we stress them a certain amount of time, we repopulate them a certain amount of time, etc. So in different conditions, they produce different valuable metabolites. And the more different and more metabolites, the more effective the postbiotic is. After they produce all the possible metabolites, we concentrate the metabolites and inactivate the probiotic bacteria, i.e. we kill them. Being alive, the probiotic bacteria will not contribute any benefit to the body because, as I have already noted, being foreign to the body, they cannot colonize and grow in it. But inactivated, they will provide the body with their cellular bioproducts, which contain many different biologically active substances, such as DNA, RNA, enzymes, biosurfactants, teichoic acids, peptidoglycans, polysaccharides, etc., which also have significant health benefits.

I.e., the postbiotic „bibiotic“ contains all metabolites produced by selected intestinal probiotic bacterial strains as well as their inactivated cells, particles and bioproducts thereof.

Postbiotic „bibiotic“ does not contain live microorganisms.

Postbiotic „bibiotic“ is a 100% natural and naturally created from probiotic bacterial strains product. There are no preservatives and synthetic substances in it. It is created without the use of genetically modified organisms. It meets all the conditions for an effective postbiotic. In addition, the probiotic is a concentrated product, which at times improves its effectiveness. It is in liquid form, not dry, for its more proper distribution on the body’s surfaces and easier absorption.

All the ingredients of the postbiotic „bibiotic“ are broken down to fully digestible substances for the body and the intestinal microbiota. Therefore, it is completely and quickly absorbed.

There are no special requirements for its storage. It is stored at room temperature. Its shelf life at room temperature is 2 years.

Ingredients of postbiotic „bibiotic“

Metabolites:

Nutrients (amino acids, peptides, monosaccharides, trace elements, vitamins, etc.) – they are a source of necessary and easily assimilable nutrients for the organism.

Anti-inflammatory nutrients (short-chain fatty acids) – they supply essential nutrients and anti-inflammatory substances for the colon cells. They maintain the balance of the intestinal microbiota and the water-electrolyte balance of the gut. With their power they activate local and systemic immunity.

Digestive (enzymes) – they break down complex nutrients into simple ones for easy absorption by the body.

Detoxifying (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, exopolysaccharides, bifidofactors, antioxidants, etc.) – they metabolize xenobiotics, or simply put, break down foreign and dangerous chemicals in the human body, destroy carcinogens and metabolites causing unwanted mutations.

Antimicrobial (organic acids, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic-like substances, bacteriocins, etc.) – they suppress the activity and population of pathogenic microorganisms and promote the development of beneficial bacteria.

Immunological (negative regulatory signalling molecules, microRNAs, immunomodulatory metabolites, etc.) – they stimulate the production of immunoglobulins and cytokines regulating innate and adaptive immunity.

Neurosignaling (neurotransmitters, such as serotonin or conventionally referred to as the „happiness and joy hormone“, dopamine or – „pleasure and motivation hormone“, acetylcholine or „muscle activity teacher“ and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) or „fear and anxiety controller“ and various compounds, which can bind to receptors expressed in the brain, such as indoles and bile acids) – neuroactive compounds that act on both the enteric and central nervous systems and with the potential to modulate behaviour and mental activity.

Lysates and structural elements of probiotic cultures (DNA, RNA, biosurfactants, teichoic acids, peptidoglycans, polysaccharides, etc.) – regulate gene expression, destroy biofilms of pathogens and prevent the formation of new ones, balance the immune response to proinflammatory cytokines, stimulate macrophage activity, have anti-inflammatory activity, strengthen the epithelial barrier of the intestine.

Benefits of postbiotic „bibiotic“

Postbiotic „bibiotic“ acts directly by supplying the body with all the valuable substances that, under ideal conditions, its own probiotic bacteria should produce. As well as all the valuable substances found in the bacteria themselves.

Postbiotic „bibiotic“ has five main mechanisms of action contributing benefits to the body:

Modulation of the resident microbiota;
improving epithelial barrier function;
modulating local and systemic immune responses;
Modulation of systemic metabolic responses;
systemic signalling through the nervous system.

Use of the postbiotic „bibiotic“

„Bibiotic“ can be used as a primary or adjunctive therapeutic agent in many cases.

Viral infections. Viral infections are not curable. They are dealt with by human immunity. If the immune system gets help from outside, it will fight off the disease faster.

For example. Vaccines are designed to provoke and strengthen the body’s immune defenses against relevant viruses by creating „memory“ in the immune system. They mimic natural infection, stimulating the immune system to develop a specific immune response. The majority of antivirals are generally designed to activate immunity. Taking vitamins is also designed to stimulate it. The reception of other medicines, aims only to relieve symptoms – fever, cough, runny nose, malaise, etc. That is, the treatment of viral infections consists in activating and modulating the immune system.

The postbiotic „bibiotic“ is a powerful immunomodulator. And perhaps this is one of its most valuable qualities. As such, it is extremely effective for all influenza viruses, coronaviruses and other viral infections and can be used as a primary therapeutic agent. Practice has shown that the postbiotic „bibiotic“ is an extremely effective antiviral preparation and in viral infections gets on its feet in a day or two. In addition, it reduces the likelihood that a viral infection will grow into a bacterial one.

As an immunomodulator, it is also useful in compromised immune systems.

Antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics are necessary to fight bacterial infections. Without them, we would have a hard time dealing with harmful bacteria. But along with destroying the harmful ones, the antibiotic also destroys our beneficial bacteria. They are reduced, and the amount of health-valuable metabolites they produce is reduced accordingly. This leads to the onset of intestinal dysbiotic conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, abdominal discomfort, bloating, heaviness, nausea, etc. In addition, proper digestion and absorption of substances is impaired. The immune system weakens and the body becomes susceptible to developing other diseases. Taking a probiotic will not help because the antibiotic will destroy its probiotic bacteria as well.

The postbiotic „bibiotic“ is extremely effective in antibiotic therapy. The antibiotic has no effect on him. It will compensate the body with the deficient due to taking antibiotics valuable metabolites, activate the immune system and prevent the appearance of undesirable intestinal manifestations. „Bibiotic“ will also provide the body with antibacterial metabolites that will reduce the possibility of a bacterial infection becoming fungal. In addition, the postbiotic „bibiotic“ will improve the intestinal barrier, thereby limiting the possible penetration of toxins into the body and the occurrence of further complications. And its reception after antibiotic therapy will help to quickly and qualitatively restore the balance of the intestinal microbiota.

Allergic and dermatological manifestations. Postbiotic „bibiotic“ is effective in various allergic and dermatological manifestations, because it improves the functions of the epithelial barrier and thus prevents intoxication of the body, promotes its detoxification, corrects its own microbiota and regulates the immune system. For example, in dermatological problems such as acne and atopic dermatitis it shows very good results.

Food intolerances. In case of food intolerance, postbiotic „bibiotic“ will supply the body with the deficient enzymes that the body cannot produce itself, but are necessary for the breakdown of the nutrients concerned. For example, in lactose intolerance. It will supply the body with the enzyme lactase, which will help break down lactose and overcome lactose intolerance.

Digestive problems. Postbiotic „bibiotic“ will resolve digestive issues such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, heaviness, upset stomach, etc. as it regulates intestinal metabolism and microbiota and aids in the breakdown and absorption of substances. The feedback on its use for bloating, the perennial problem in women, has been extremely positive.

Gastroenterological problems. For gastroenterological problems, postbiotic „bibiotic“ will assist in their resolution by bringing order to the functioning of the intestinal ecosystem and immunity and contribute to the restoration of the intestinal mucosa and epithelium. We have already observed its effectiveness in more serious gastroenterological diseases such as diverticolitis and ulcerative colitis.

And in general, the postbiotic „bibiotic“ shows serious effectiveness in almost all intestinal and immunological problems.

Prophylactic. The greatest value of the postbiotic „bibiotic“ is its prophylactic use. It will contribute to the well-being of one’s own microbiota, the proper functioning of the intestinal tract and the maintenance of the immune system at the correct level, as well as prevent the appearance of many undesirable processes in the body.

Health is the most precious thing in a person’s life. Do not postpone for „later“. Take care of it in a timely manner, especially prophylactically.