CARODEL · Use of Microorganisms for Carotenoids Delivery: Next Generation of Probiotics for Cardiovascular Disease

CARODEL aims to valorise the results from the previous FP7 COLORSPORE project, in which initial isolation and characterization work was performed on Bacillus strains producing gastric-stable carotenoids. As the stability in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), antioxidant activity and bioavailability of particular Bacillus carotenoids was shown to be higher than those of common dietary carotenoids, the conclusions from COLORSPORE provided strong and compelling reasons to support further development and commercialisation of these bacteria-derived carotenoids.CARODEL will therefore focus on the development of an efficient oral delivery strategy of such highly active carotenoids, in combination with evaluation of potential direct health-beneficial (probiotic) activity of the Bacillus delivery vehicle, with the ultimate aim to improve biomarkers associated with (the prevention of) cardiovascular disease (CVD). The relevance of using carotenoids for CVD prevention was recently shown by a positive EFSA opinion on the use of tomato lycopene for maintenance of a healthy blood flow.In practice, effective delivery of the carotenoids to the human body will be compared upon administration as i) vegetative Bacillus cells, ii) Bacillus spores or iii) extracted carotenoids. In parallel, the ability of the Bacillus strain to exert bona fide effects (i.e., effects on the host microbiota, metabolism and immunity) will be investigated using in vitro gut models and in vivo rat studies. Based on this, the best delivery strategy will be selected and validated in a human study, in which carotenoid bioavailability will be validated as well as endpoints related to CVD biomarkers and potential probiotic activity. In combination with a full safety assessment, a proof-of-concept production strategy and development of a business plan, the scientific evidence compiled in this project will provide a framework for efficient further commercialisation of a well-documented Bacillus carotenoid product