Probiotics Consortium to advance research and functional food industry
The Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC), under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, hosted an MOU signing ceremony to establish the Probiotics Research Consortium, aiming to enhance Thai research and industry competitiveness.
The MOU signing on November 25, coincided with the Expert Forum: Probiotics, a dedicated event focused on advancing probiotic research into the functional food industry.
The forum occurred both in-person at Ballroom 2, 8th floor, SO Bangkok Hotel, and online via Zoom Meeting.
Professor Dr Nathdanai Harnkarnsujarit, Manager of the High-Value Food Research Coordination Office at PMUC, reported on the growth of the probiotic industry and the government's strong commitment to supporting this sector.
Thailand boasts high-quality probiotic strains with proven health benefits, making them ideal candidates for food industry development.
Additionally, the country possesses robust research capabilities, backed by skilled and well-prepared researchers. To further bolster this burgeoning industry, the government is considering providing support in several key areas:
• Infrastructure Development: Investing in advanced facilities to scale up production to an industrial level.
• Commercialization: Facilitating the commercial distribution of probiotic products.
• Safety and Regulatory Compliance: Supporting rigorous safety testing and clinical trials to meet FDA regulations and secure regulatory approvals.
• Technological Advancement: Investing in research to develop innovative probiotic technologies and enhance the functional properties of health food products.
The collaboration will encompass research funding, the development of new production technologies and products, the enhancement of national infrastructure for probiotic R&D, scaling up production to an industrial level, the preparation and improvement of regulations for probiotic product registration, and market research to create products that meet global consumer demands.
Collaborating Agencies Include: Program Management Unit Competitiveness (PMUC), Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Srinakharinwirot University, Kasetsart University and Mahidol University.
The Research Consortium: Probiotics aims to drive Thai probiotic research into the industry to enhance business competitiveness.
The event provided a platform for government agencies and the private sector to discuss research challenges and the need for support in regulatory infrastructure and probiotic product registration.
The ultimate goal is to promote, support, and enhance Thai probiotic research to enable commercial-scale production of high-value food products that cater to the needs of modern health-conscious consumers and capitalise on the rapidly growing global probiotic market.
