ISAPP Newsletter – August 19, 2020

When you visit the ISAPP website, one of the first things you’ll see is a statement about ISAPP’s commitment to stewardship within the field of probiotics and prebiotics. As part of our stewardship efforts, ISAPP aims to raise awareness about the proper use of the term “probiotic”, and to encourage correct use by all stakeholders. This initiative is what prompted ISAPP to join forces with IPA Europe to publish a paper that advances four simple criteria for what truly qualifies as a probiotic. Read more about it below.

Also in this newsletter, ISAPP announces an upcoming free webinar on probiotic and prebiotic mechanisms of action, offered in collaboration with ILSI Europe.

Below, read our new article for consumers – offered in English and in Spanish – about how probiotics stay alive until they’re consumed; get an update on the latest EFSA qualified presumption of safety (QPS) list and how it has incorporated changes to the genus Lactobacillus; and find out about a new organization called the Ibero-American Society for Microbiota, Probiotics and Prebiotics (SIAMPyP).

Finally – we're reaching out to everyone in the ISAPP community for your perspectives on the organization! Below you'll find a link to a 2-minute survey. We hope you'll fill it out to assist ISAPP in developing a communications strategy that will lead us through the organization’s next phase.

New publication addresses the question: Which bacteria truly qualify as probiotics?

Despite an increase in awareness about the international scientific consensus definition of probiotics since it was published in 2014, improper use of the word ‘probiotic’ is frequent. The authors of a new paper in Frontiers in Microbiology—a collaboration between ISAPP and IPA Europe—detail four criteria that microorganisms need to meet in order to qualify as probiotics. ISAPP’s press release about this paper can be found here.

Hear from ISAPP board members in upcoming webinar covering probiotic and prebiotic mechanisms of action

How much do you know about the mechanisms of action of probiotics and prebiotics? Learn about this topic in a free webinar for scientists and the public, jointly hosted by ISAPP and ILSI Europe. The webinar, which will feature talks by three academic members of the ISAPP board, is set for September 17th and requires advance registration.

EFSA’s QPS committee issues latest updates

For those concerned with regulatory aspects of probiotics in Europe, see this blog post by Drs. Bruno Pot and Mary Ellen Sanders, which summarizes the July update of the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) list of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as it pertains to the probiotic field. Of special note are EFSA’s handling of the taxonomic changes for the genus Lactobacillus and its review of two ‘next-generation’ probiotic species, Akkermansia muciniphila and Clostridium butyricum.

New Probiotic and Prebiotic Society Among Ibero-American Countries

In this post, read about the establishment of a new organization called the Ibero-American Society for Microbiota, Probiotics and Prebiotics (SIAMPyP), which aims to advance scientific research and foster communication among researchers and clinicians from Spain, Portugal, Mexico, and several South American countries.

Short ISAPP Survey