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Drinking beer could soon come with added health benefits, thanks to a team of researchers in Singapore.

A new speciality beer now includes the probiotic strain Lactobacillus paracasei L26, which was first taken from human intestines.

The bacteria has the ability to neutralise toxins and viruses and even boost the immune system, the scientists claim.

Studies have shown that eating food and drink with live counts of probiotics are more effective in delivering health effects than eating those with inactive probiotics.

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Recommendations by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics is to have a minimum of 1 billion probiotics per serving in order to attain the maximum health benefits.

The idea of a probiotic beer was the brainchild of student Chan Mei Zhi Alcine, who consumes dairy-based probiotic drinks daily.

The health benefits of probiotics are well known, she said.

While good bacteria are often present in food that have been fermented, there are currently no beers in the market that contain probiotics.

Developing sufficient counts of live probiotics in beer is a challenging feat as beers contain hop acids that prevent the growth and survival of probiotics.

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Developing sufficient counts of live probiotics in beer is a challenging feat

Miss Chan said the recipe, which included the optimal count of live probiotics - took nine months to develop.

For this beer, we used a lactic acid bacterium as a probiotic micro-organism, she said.

It will utilise sugars present in the wort to produce sour-tasting lactic acid, resulting in a beer with sharp and tart flavours.

The final product, which takes around a month to brew, has an alcohol content of about 3.5 per cent, said Miss Chan.

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The NUS research team has filed a patent to protect the recipe for brewing the probiotic sour beer.

Associate Professor Liu Shao Quan from the NUS Food Science and Technology Programme said: The general health benefits associated with consuming food and beverages with probiotic strains have driven demand dramatically.

In recent years, consumption of craft or specialty beers has gained popularity too.

Alcines invention is placed in a unique position that caters to these two trends.

I am confident that the probiotic gut-friendly beer will be well-received by beer drinkers, as they can now enjoy their beers and be healthy.

Here is the original post:
The BEER that's good for you - THIS alcoholic drink boosts gut health and immune system - Express.co.uk

This entry was posted on July 10, 2017 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Immune System. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |