With more consumers turning to foods with health benefits, probiotics market size is expected to experience massive growth. Recognizing this significant opportunity, Winona Feminine Company Limited and BIOTEC-NSTDA conducted a joint project to develop a probiotic supplement with funding provided by the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC), NSTDA and Winona Feminine. The joint effort has resulted in Winona Probio – a probiotic supplement designed especially for women that meets international standards.

Winona Probio contains two locally-isolated probiotic strains – Lactobacillus paracasei and Bifidobacterium animalis – which were licensed to Winona Feminine by the Center of Excellence in Probiotics, Srinakharinwirot University. The product has a high concentration of living cells and has been registered as a food supplement with the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand. Based on the study of the Center of Excellence in Probiotics, Srinakharinwirot University, the two microbes have multiple health benefits, including reducing liver and intestinal inflammation, lowering cholesterol, inhibiting pathogens, increasing antioxidant activity, enhancing immune system and maintaining gut homeostasis. The product has no side effect at an appropriate dose.

Dr. Kobkul Laoteng, Director of BIOTEC Functional Ingredients and Food Innovation Research Group, explained that the manufacturing of Winona Priobio utilizes the probiotic production process at BIOTEC Bioprocessing Facility (BBF). BBF is a pilot-scale microbial production facility designed to comply with international standards, including Codex GHPs & HACCP (Good Hygiene Practices and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) and GILSP (Good Industrial Large-Scale Practice). In addition to state-of-the-art equipment and technologies, BBF is backed by a research team with a wealth of knowledge and experience to help enterprises develop microbe-based products such as food additives, ingredients, and food supplements to address the needs of the high-growth food and bio-based sectors.

This probiotics supplement which is based on local technologies and bioresources not only caters to modern-day consumers, but also reduces the import of probiotics, while bolstering the competitiveness of Thai food industry.