The Akkermansia Company: how Sacco System’s weight-management supplement came into being

Exclusively distributed in Italy by Metagenics, The Akkermansia Company™ supplement will be available at chemist’s and O.T.C. drugstores in Italy from mid-December onwards. This brand-new supplement contains a strain produced by Sacco System which is being put on sale for the very first time. Clinical trials have shown that this particular strain effectively combats the consequences of a high-fat diet (for instance, increased body fat, the onset of insulin-resistance syndrome and inflammatory states).

The supplement was obtained by isolating (something achieved for the very first time in 2004) the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila which, according to scientific research, helps to improve the metabolic profile associated with type-2 diabetes and obesity.

In addition to 30 billion pasteurised Akkermansia muciniphila, the supplement also contains chromium for glycaemic control as well as green-tea extract for weight control. A combination of these ingredients has helped to substantiate the EFSA claims.

A close partnership between the Akkermansia Company and Sacco System made it possible to pinpoint a bacterial strain that was unknown until 2004 and place it on the market for the first time. The undoubted challenges of producing this anaerobic organism were only met thanks to the superb teamwork between the two companies. The bacteria are inactivated thanks to a special pasteurisation process which boasts the same levels of effectiveness as the live probiotic.

This innovative product is a huge step ahead in the supplements sector in general, but is particularly seminal in the field of weight-control supplements.

The video at the bottom of the article features Marco Caspani, CEO of the Sacco System company Centro Sperimentale del Latte, who talks us through the Akkermansia Company™ production process.

Akkermansia muciniphila: Significant results in literature

1. Strain isolated for the first time in 2004 in the human gastrointestinal tract – group led by Professor Willlem M. de Vos, University of Wageningen.
   
   
2. Initial research has shown that large quantities of A. muciniphila in the gastrointestinal tract are inversely related to obesity and type-2 diabetes; the consumption of A. muciniphila does not only improve the metabolic profile of mice (reducing their body fat and insulin-resistance), but also strengthens the gut lining, which in turn lowers levels of endotoxemia and inflammation.
   
   
3. When A. muciniphila is pasteurised, not only does it retain all its health benefits, but its healing power is actually boosted due to the presence of a protein with a heat-stable membrane and immunogenic properties. The Amuc_1100 protein regulates the beneficial action of the bacteria, improving the gut barrier and lowering dyslipidemia as well as reducing insulin-resistance and the accumulation of body fat.
   
   
4. A clinical trial (no. NCT02637115) conducted on 32 overweight/obese and insulin-resistant individuals has shown that oral administration of A. muciniphila(both as a live supplement and a heat-inactivated one) is safe and well tolerated. The pasteurised form of the bacterium led to the improvement of a variety of metabolic parameters, such as insulin sensitivity, overall cholesterol levels and an increase in body fat and weight as well as lowering liver-inflammation markers.
   
   
5. In 2021 the EFSA approved pasteurised A. muciniphila as a novel food with a maximum dosage of 5×10¹⁰ cells/day for adults.
   

Akkermansia muciniphila: Note sul processo produttivo

January 2019

1. Strain arrives at Sacco and is included in our collection. It was one of the first obligate anaerobes to be included in our collection of strains.

January-December 2019

1. First small-scale pilot fermentation commenced in January (at Sacco)
2. First pilot fermentation on a semi-industrial scale (at CSL)

January 2020

1. Production batch of the pasteurised product for the first time (at Sacco)

April-August 2020

1. Various tests aimed at optimising the production process (at Sacco)

September 2020

1. 12000L production batch based on the previous pasteurised product batch (Sacco)

December 2021 – February 2022

1. Three production batches of 12000L and one production batch of 20000L (at CSL).
   The whole process takes place in an oxygen-deprived environment.

For further information on the Akkermansia Company™ weight-management supplement, on the Akkermansia muciniphila bacterial strain, or just for information about our services, skills and technological know-how as regards the development of traditional and next-generation probiotic strains, and postbiotic formulations, please get in touch with us.