TWK10 probiotic clinically proven for muscle health receives Thai FDA approval
The probiotic strain, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum TWK10, is now included in Thailand’s List of Probiotic Microorganisms in Foods.
Synbio Tech, the Taiwan-based company behind TWK10, says that it hopes to target Thailand’s healthy ageing and sports nutrition supplement sectors following the approval – a process which took about three years to be completed.
The company hopes to work with local Thai contract manufacturers producing sports nutrition, healthy ageing, and pharmaceutical products in incorporating TWK10 into new dietary supplements.
Thailand is a market of interest due to its fast-growing probiotic market and a rapidly ageing population, Lisa Chen, marketing director at Synbio Tech told NutraIngredients-Asia.
“I think the probiotic market in Thailand has been growing very quickly.
“Although the economy is not doing very well recently, we are still very confident because TWK10 is a good product and is one of the very few probiotic strains that claims to promote muscle health, that's why it is so unique and can fit the market needs,” said Chen.
Thailand’s probiotic market has been growing at a rate of 15 per cent, according to Docquity, which specialises in distributing probiotics through healthcare practitioners.
One of the products that it distributes in Thailand, SIT duo probiotics, has seen its uptake increased from less than 1,000 paediatricians to 2,000 of them within six months.
Based on Google Trends, “probiotics” as a search term in Thailand has also increased by more than three times during the thick of the pandemic, specifically between December 2019 and November 2022.
Isolated from Taiwanese fermented cabbage, TWK10 has been shown to increase muscle mass, improve hand grip strength, potential in reducing weight gain and improving glucose and lipids profiles.
In Taiwan, it is is permitted to make claims on delaying the onset of exercise fatigue and promoting the elimination of fatigue after exercise.
“We know that there is muscle loss from ageing and within APAC, Thailand is growing fast when it comes to their ageing population,” said Chen.
Latest data shows that there are about 13.2 million citizens aged 60 and above, about 20 per cent of the entire population.
The Thai market is also an attractive market since there is generally a good perception of Taiwan-manufactured products.
“The made in Taiwan reputation is quite good in Thailand and they are perceived as having a good quality among Thai consumers,” she added.
There are plans to make the probiotic into capsule and sachet powder products in Thailand.
Thailand is also the first South East Asia country where Synbio Tech’s probiotic strain has been approved for use in foods and supplements.
Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia are the other countries where prior approval is also needed for the strain to be used in probiotics products.
In Indonesia, for example, a probiotic strain needs to be tested in the local population before it could be considered for approval.
Chen said that there were upcoming plans in entering the Philippines.
Elsewhere in the US, the strain also recently received the self-affirmed Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS) status.
