Precision Fermentation

Draco Precision Fermentation Features

• High purity bioactive compounds synthesized from living cells
• Unique full spectrum compounds formed in fermentation
• Increased bioavailability /water solubility of bioactives
• Enhanced taste, form, and function for food applications
• Fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and seaweeds
• Vitamin B content increased
• Polyphenol availability increased
• Microbiological safety, improved keeping quality
• Generates valuable postbiotic microbial metabolites
• Improvements in health benefits such as heart health, vision, and nutrients

Why Fermentation?

Throughout history, fermentation has been an important way to preserve food and beverages, helping them last longer. Along the way, fermentation gained even greater relevance when researchers discovered the significance of good bacteria in the gut that help with basic functions such as digestion, absorption, and assimilation of nutrients. It was found that fermented food products help improve these functions, as well as helping boost general health.

Draco Fermented Botanical Extracts

Fermented botanical extracts offer synergistic benefits with the bacteria already present in the digestive tract. During fermentation, new bioactive compounds are formed from phenolics and flavonoids that have improved water solubility and are more readily absorbed. The new extracts contain prebiotics in easier-to-use water-soluble forms which can more quickly boost probiotic growth. In addition, postbiotics are created, which are materials from the dead bacteria or fungal cell walls that confer bioactive effects such as immunogenic effects and tolerance.

The fermentation process also increases levels of nutrients such as B vitamins and Vitamin K, as well as short chain fatty acids. and healthy probiotic flora. The short chain fatty acids, which are essential for a healthy gut, help colonize healthy probiotic flora, and help with the assimilation of minerals.

Optimized Process Advantages

With Draco’s unique process, the addition of probiotic bacteria, yeast, or fungus to a liquid extract at optimal conditions for a precise growth period creates an enhanced full spectrum of nutrients and bioactives with improved bioavailability, all by virtue of the life cycle of the probiotic organism.

Plants are known to naturally contain polysaccharide prebiotics, which can stimulate the growth of the added probiotic bacteria. They feed the added probiotic, and along with short chain fatty acids and metabolites, also provide the microbes in the gut with a ready-to-use nutrient source.

Improved Bioavailability

Fermentation helps break apart tough, fibrous plant cell wall components, releasing bioactives. Phytocompounds such as flavonoids are predigested into more water-soluble compounds by breaking the glycosidic bonds and forming new complexes. Long-chain molecules that are difficult to digest, like proteins, are broken down into more bioavailable amino acids and peptides that have blood pressure-lowering, immune stimulating effects, and cholesterol lowering benefits. Polysaccharides like cellulose are broken down into shorter polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, which are easy-to-digest lower molecular weight prebiotics and some simple sugars.

Safety

Microbiological safety and shelf life of botanical extracts are improved after fermentation. The growth of pathogenic bacteria is inhibited by bacterocin (naturally formed antibiotic metabolites) which suppress growth of harmful bacteria.

Using Draco Fermented Botanical Extracts

Research studies on the fermentation of botanical extracts have shown dramatic increases in the bioactive health benefits of extracts in comparison to equivalent non-fermented extracts. Fermented ginseng boosted testosterone in humans 58 times greater compared to non-fermented ginseng. Sophora flavescens after fermentation has greater anti-inflammatory effects against endotoxin induced eye inflammation. Fermented Momordica charantia has better effects at lowering hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, and oxidative stress. Fermented Reishi mushroom has stronger memory and cognitive benefits than non-fermented.  References are available.

Cosmetics and Personal Care Applications

Along with nutritional applications, fermentation also helps improve botanical ingredients for skin care applications. Draco uses fermentation technology to develop clean, natural ingredients for cosmetic and personal care products. For example, Draco has developed a certified organic glycerin from organic corn fermentation using a living cell derived process.

Metabolites generated by probiotic activity can produce an antibiotic effect to help repel or suppress the growth of harmful skin bacteria and fungi. With the added inhibitory bacterocins from fermentation, the reinforced extracts can also help strengthen the skin’s immune defenses, reducing skin sensitivity and improving moisture retention. Lipoteichoic acid, a metabolite from L. plantarum that is formed during a fermentation process, has anti-photoaging effects on the skin by regulating MMP-1 (collagenase). Metabolites from Lactobacillus johnsonii relieve inflammatory skin problems such as atopic dermatitis.

Other skin care applications derived from high bioavailability fermented botanicals include anti-aging, skin whitening, anti-inflammation, moisturizing, and UV-blocking effects. Studies showed, for example, that fermented Astragalus root resulted in increased hyaluronic acid production and greater growth stimulating effects on keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Agastache rugosa leaves with probiotic bacterial fermentation have stronger UV-B radiation protective activity.

How is a fermented extract made at Draco?

1. Full Spectrum Extraction

The first step is to perform our proprietary Full Spectrum water extraction on specific herbs, fruits, or vegetables, either alone or combined as a formula.

2. Bacterial Inoculation

The extract in liquid form is then inoculated with a pure form of the probiotic bacteria, yeast, or fungus to initially
grow a seed culture, which is then added to the larger batch of extract.

3. Fermentation

The inoculated batch of extract is held at optimal fermentation conditions for up to 7 days. Since the probiotic organisms are pure and not contaminated with pathogens, the mixture does not need to be pasteurized.

Herbs, fruits, and vegetables generally contain more than enough prebiotic constituents that are food for the probiotics. such as inulin (fructo-oligosaccharides), pectin, and other polysaccharides to help promote probiotic bacteria/yeast growth in the fermentation process once it gets started. At the last stage of fermentation, a safe low heat (~50°C) is shortly applied to promote enzymes accelerating cell lysis on some of the probiotic organisms. This releases the bioactive compounds contained within the cell while stopping the probiotics from over growing.

4. Spray Drying

The fermented extract is spray dried into a fine powder. The whole process takes less than 10 seconds and the powder is cooled immediately to room temperature, which helps preserve heat sensitive nutrients and bio-actives.

5. Quality, Safety & Purity

Extraction takes place in our state-of-the-art processing facility, which is Certified Organic to both USDA:NOP and European EEC/834 2007 guidelines. Our facilities are also ISO 9001:2015 Certified, GFSI Certified, cGMP Compliant, FSMA Compliant, HACCP Certified, Kosher and Halal Certified. As always, our extracts undergo rigorous analytical testing for constituent assay (HPLC, HPTLC, UV), moisture, bulk density, heavy metals, and pesticides. Microbiological safety is actually improved in fermented products as bacterocins (natural antibiotics) are generated. We never irradiate or fumigate either our plants or finished extracts. All products are fully traceable.

Customization

Draco can customize fermented product blends based on your individual needs. Our team can focus Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas on various health indications, including immune support, digestive health, sleep and relaxation, and weight loss. We can also customize a formula based on food recipes, such as fruit, vegetable, and mushroom blends for either food or health applications.