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Pioneering probiotic fresh produce

An Israeli agri-foodtech startup says it is pioneering a new category of probiotic fresh produce.

Will Chu

August 7, 2024

3 Min Read
vegetable selection iStock fcafotodigital 1247073860
© iStock/fcafotodigital

Wonder Veggies, which was founded in 2022, is preparing to unleash its first breed of vegetables that have been enriched with a probiotic liquid-based formulation.

“Our technology and formulations ensure that we turn the probiotic bacteria into endophytes, beneficial bacteria that lives inside the tissue of the plant, hence providing them with effective protection against the acidity of the stomach,” said Danny Weiss, co-founder and CEO of Wonder Veggies.

“This can kill most of the probiotic bacteria that uses other delivery systems – dairy products, for example. The vegetables and the fruits provide the required fibres (prebiotics), hence providing a very powerful synbiotic effect.

“The combination of the protection against the acidity of the stomach and the synbiotic effect ensure a very high bioavailability.”

Probiotics enter the plant tissue and inhabit the plant as an endophyte

Wonder Veggies’ technology builds on the work of professors Oded Shoseyov and Betty Schwartz, who are both based at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Together with Dr Lilach Iasur Kruh from Braude Academic College, the team refined a process that enables a liquid formulation to enter plant tissues and inhabit the plant as an endophyte.

The formulation is applied on to vegetables before the harvesting process in the field or greenhouse. Alternatively, it can be applied after the harvest, where produce can then be packaged.

“Many types of vegetables and fruits could be naturally enriched with our probiotic formulation, [including] leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, berries, stone fruits and others,” said Weiss. “The enrichment [is] a combination of many factors, including the characteristic of the vegetables and fruits, the strain’s specifications, and more.”

‘Probiotication’ of fruit and veg is a viable alternative to dairy-based options 

Wonder Veggies’ produce is the first commercial offering that builds on review findings describing the adoption of fruit and vegetable matrices or sources as “suitable carrier(s) for probiotic delivery, given that the probiotics are maintained above the recommended ranges”.

Published in the journal LWT – Food Science and Technology, the 2021 review detailed how demand for non-dairy foods as probiotic carriers is increasing because of high levels of lactose intolerance in the population and the growing popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets.

Commenting on the possible challenges the “probiotication” of fruit and vegetables may bring in the future, Dr Miguel Toribio-Mateas, a clinical neuroscientist and gut health expert, said: “The effectiveness of the probiotic infusion may vary with different types of fruits and vegetables due to their unique pH levels, moisture content, and nutrient composition.

“For example, leafy greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes might be more suitable due to their water content and surface area. Specific probiotic strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are likely to be more resilient.”

Addressing the possible issue of produce age or shelf life and its impact on the viability of probiotics, Toribio-Mateas, who is based at Cardiff University, added: “Refrigeration and minimal processing can help maintain probiotic integrity.

“However, long storage periods may reduce the efficacy of probiotics. As a rule of thumb, the longer the oxygen exposure time, the higher the impact on viability.” 

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