ADM and Brightseed Partner to Develop Synbiotic Products for Gut Health

US ingredients leader ADM has announced a partnership with bioactives company Brightseed to develop evidence-based functional synbiotic products that target microbiome optimization.

ADM, which has invested an undisclosed amount in the venture, aims to offer a range of clinically validated functional ingredients for foods and beverages, dietary supplements, and medical foods by 2025.

Synbiotics are gut health solutions in the form of food and supplements, which combine probiotics (health-beneficial microbial strains) with prebiotics (non-digestible fibers and plant substrates that microbes use to grow), explains ADM.

AI technology

The collaboration involves using Brightseed’s AI technology, Forager, to decipher the molecular interactions between dietary plants and gut microbes and their precise impact on human health.

Preliminary profiling has showcased the AI’s ability to discover bioactives in plants and map them to specific modes of action at a rate and accuracy that was previously impossible, providing insights into biological changes that can occur at the cellular level.

Forager will be used across ADM’s microbial libraries to accelerate the development of effective synbiotic products for gut health. 

“We are thrilled to partner with Brightseed to lead in state-of-the-art discovery on the microbiome, and to bring forward science-backed solutions that empower consumers toward proactive and individualized health,” said Mark Lotsch, ADM’s president of global health and wellness. 

Precision health

The gut microbiome is a dynamic ecosystem of microorganisms that performs complex interactions between the diet and human biology to impact health. The importance of synbiotics in precision gut health benefits is increasingly recognized, explains ADM.

“Brightseed and ADM share the conviction that precision health outcomes for consumers should be driving the category innovation,” said Sofia Elizondo, Brightseed’s co-founder and chief operating officer.

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