What are lactic acid bacteria metabolites ?

Lactic acid bacteria metabolites are substances that are produced by the good bacteria (primarily bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria) that have been living in our intestines since we were born, and which are essential to human health. Lactic acid bacteria metabolites help promote a proper balance among the intestinal bacteria and benefit the immune system, thereby contributing to human health.

Typically, a bacterium will excrete a variety of substances from its body over the course of its life. These substances are called “metabolites” or “secretions”. When bacteria feed on something, they will metabolize it to produce something that is completely different. For a similar example, think of the silkworm. Silkworms eat mulberry leaves to produce silk, but silk is not something that is found to start with in either the silkworm or the leaves themselves. It is produced by the silkworms only when they eat mulberry leaves. In the same way, lactic acid bacteria metabolites are produced by lactic acid bacteria as a product of metabolism.

Graphic explanation of lactic acid bacteria metabolites

Lactic acid bacteria metabolites are normally produced inside the body, as depicted below. It is truly amazing what goes on in our “internal factories”. At Koei Science Lab, we produce our LAB metabolites using production facilities that have been modeled on this internal factory. To see how this is done, just have a look at the illustrations below.

Why produce LAB metabolites outside the body ?

Let’s start with a few words about the figure above.

Intestinal bacteria are what produce lactic acid metabolites. There are around 100 trillion bacteria of more than 100 species in the human intestines, living in a balance. We have a larger number of bacteria in our intestines than the number of cells in our bodies, which is around 60 trillion, and together they weigh more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds).

The so-called “good” bacteria in our intestines (bifidobacteria and others) produce substances known as lactic acid bacteria metabolites. These substances are essential for human health.

But due to changing diets, and as we age, we have fewer of the good bacteria in our intestines. That’s why it is often recommended to eat yogurt and other foods that contain lactic acid bacteria. But let’s say you ate 100 grams of yogurt every day. That amount contains only around 100 billion bacteria, or roughly 0.001% of the number of bacteria in our intestines. And bacteria consumed in this way have a hard time propagating in the gut and simply pass through our bodies.

Constantly helping out the good bacteria that produce lactic acid bacteria (LAB) metabolites is not easy. It is thus difficult to produce LAB metabolites efficiently in the intestines, which are like factories within our bodies. This is why Koei Science Lab developed a method of producing LAB metabolites outside the body that could be taken as a supplement.

We work outside the body, selecting and grouping good bacteria from among the indigenous bacteria in the human intestines. Then we grow these bacteria in conditions the same as those in the intestines in terms of nutrients, temperature and other factors, in a process known as “co-culturing”. The bacteria produce substances (LAB metabolites) that are identical to those produced by the bacteria in the human intestines. These LAB metabolites can then be used to support human health.

With expertise gained through years of research, Koei Science Lab combines carefully selected strains of lactic acid bacteria. Our LAB metabolites are produced using systems that far surpass the capabilities of the “internal factory” of the human intestines.

Biogenics and LAB metabolites

LAB metabolites are the substance shown at the bottom of the illustration on the right (“Outside the body”) in the Graphic explanation of LAB metabolites above.


Solid material used to make liquid concentrate of LAB metabolites	and fermented liquid concentrate

“Biogenics” is a health-related concept proposed by Dr. Mitsuoka Tomotari, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and world-renowned in the field of intestinal bacteria research.

Dr. Mitsuoka has published research showing the many effects and benefits of LAB metabolites, which could be considered the king of biogenic foods.

Things required for human health

The intestinal bacteria can become imbalanced due to stress, lifestyle-related illness and aging. This can have major impacts on our health.

When this happens, LAB metabolites can help restore the balance among the intestinal bacteria and boost the immune system directly to promote overall health.

Through over 50 years of research on co-culturing of the good intestinal bacteria, Koei Science Lab has perfected a supplement with biogenic properties – LAB metabolites.

LAB metabolites can be an invaluable tool in the quest to live a healthy life.

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