Turval Laboratories - A company active in the Technology Park in Udine from 2005- It produces an ideal food for the needs in developing countries.
FRIULI BUSINESS
Children in places like Chad, Somalia, and Rwanda could soon have a better chance at surviving dysentery thanks to a dietary supplement produced in Friuli and then taken to these countries by the non-profit organization, Onlus. It has to do with the lactic yeast probiotic Kluyveromyces B0399, which is an active ingredient approved by the Italian Ministry of Research and Health and recognized by the American Food and Drug Administration as well as the European Authority for Food Safety. The probiotic was examined and produced by Turval Laboratories, an agency in the biotechnology sector that was established in 2005 at the Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico di Udine.
Recently, the active ingredient for dietary use, which also exists in a range of products much appreciated for their zootechnology, was taken into consideration not only by the Ministry of Defense to assist soldiers’ diets during their mission, but also by Onlus and non-governmental organization (NGO) that work in developing countries. These countries have adopted the probiotic primarily to help the aid workers themselves. The first of these organizations were the “Aiutiamoli a Vivere” and the “Piadiatria per l’Emergenza” associations.
“We’re very pleased,” explains Alessandro Turello, proprietor of Turval Laboratories, “to give our contribution to international solidarity and caring for the health of aid workers, doctors, and volunteers who work on the forefront in the poorest and riskiest areas in the world. We are even more pleased now that the Onlus are deciding to administer our probiotic also in the local population’s diet, starting with children.”
Turval’s active ingredient is capable of improving the immune system and digestive functions of those who are lactose intolerant, taking antibiotics, or have intestinal problems. “This is the case,” adds Turello, “when people find themselves working in difficult climates and sanitary conditions, like aid workers and the staff of peace missions overseas. Frequently in these cases, disabling intestinal problems arise which can be reduced by administering probiotics with high enzymatic activity.” The Turval product is, in fact, capable of naturally resisting antibiotics and gastric juices. Because of this, the Onlus are beginning to buy the product so they can administer it in children’s diets in the more impoverished areas.
“It is a valid instrument because it can help fight malnutrition and dysentery in impoverished areas for the aid workers as well as the local population,” explains Teresa De Monte, pediatrician who specializes in the science of human diet and who is actively involved in training programs concerning dietary health. These programs are addressed towards workers in Onlus and also towards military staff, as recently occurred in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the barracks of Cividale and Venzone, as well as the Cecchiognola of Rome during the convention organized by Onlus called ‘Pediatria per l’Emergenza.
