WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—Nebraska Cultures received generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status for its ProDura™ probiotic strain of Bacillus coagulans.

Nebraska Cultures is the exclusive supplier of ProDURA, a highly resilient probiotic that has been shown to aid in digestion, discourage bacterial, yeast and fungal infections, and may contribute to lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. 

“Achieving GRAS status for ProDURA’s Bacillus coagulans assures our customers and public consumers that they can safely use this probiotic strain to provide significant digestive health benefits," explained Michael Shahani, director of operations for Nebraska Cultures. “ProDURA has become more popular as it has demonstrated significantly higher levels of thermal-resistance than other strains of Bacillus coagulans, which seem to be more susceptible to the rigors of manufacturing, processing, shipping, storage, and importantly, the digestive tract."

ProDURA’s durable thermal-resistance comes from a spore forming bacterium with a naturally protective coating that stays dormant until it meets the perfect conditions of heat, pH, and moisture found in the large intestine. It survives at temperatures up to 110°C with almost no loss in potency, so it can be used in processed food, softgel, and gummy applications. With stability at very low pH conditions, ProDURA can deliver higher counts to the digestive tract.

Nebraska Cultures recently teamed up with Viva 5 in order to deliver ProDURA via gummies and confectionaries.