Turval – DNA mapping of the patented yeast will help the Udine company develop products for people who cannot digest lactose
IL FRIULI
The new weapon against false alimentary claims is represented by genetic identification. Having passed even the most recent and stringent standards for the certification of the processes in manufacturing, DNA imprinting will soon settle the disagreements on the origin of food. It is hard to say what the effects of this change will be on national and international regulations, meanwhile the awareness of the opportunities on what DNA reading of a specific product can determine is already widespread.
Turval Laboratories Italia knows this well—the company that operates in the biotechnology sector and the Scientific and Technological Park of Udine. Based on more than 10 years of scientific studies and over 200 clinical trials, Turval’s featured product is the probiotic lactic yeast Turval B0399 which is utilized as an innovative active ingredient for dietary supplements and was sequenced thanks to the collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology of the University of Verona, the Institute of Applied Genomics (Iga), and even with its headquarters at the Park in Udine. It is one of the first sequencings of this yeast species (kluyveromyces marxianus) in the world and the first in Italy.
The result is particularly important from both a scientific and commercial point of view. Knowing all the characteristics of the probiotic Turval B0399 and being able to incontestably trace its presence in food will in fact allow the Friuli company to export it in markets around the world and to strengthen its trademark, thus protecting its consistent investment in research and development. Turval B0399 is a probiotic composed of lactic yeast and not of the common bifidobacteria or lactic ferments, which guarantees the regulation of the intestinal bacterial flora even during antibiotic therapy, giving rise to a great innovation in the probiotic sector. This is also a rare example of a probiotic that is studied and manufactured in Italy, since in most cases active ingredients are manufactured overseas by multinational companies, which are capable of covering the excessive costs dedicated to research and experimentation and to safety verifications. In order to fully take advantage of their product on a commercial level, Turval needs to also be able to respect the strict safety standards, which will be assisted by the information obtained thanks to DNA mapping.
The company now will be able to develop an updated method for the yeast’s quality control, develop a more efficient production process, but most importantly specifically study the genetic characteristics of these new probiotic yeasts for the first time.
“The results of the project are extremely positive,” comments Alessandro Turello, CEO of Turval Laboratories, “We need to still understand all the possibilities held within the information in the DNA of our yeast, but the first pieces of evidence certainly tell us two very important things. The first is that thanks to the abundancy of a specific enzyme, we will now be able to develop food and nutritional supplements geared towards lactose intolerant people, which will put us in a specific place on the market. The second is that it is now possible to differentiate and prevent the false claims that might regard our active ingredient, which will facilitate export to other countries giving us a huge commercial advantage.”
