International Science and Technology Center

Objective

The purpose of the project is the development of new natural microbiological products – probiotics, to prevent contamination of food.
Current interest in food safety:
- Number of deaths from pathogenic bacterial infections resulting from contaminated food stuffs increases annually (millions of cases of food poisoning reported).
- Contaminated meat and poultry products (Salmonella and E.coli are two examples). 63% of the chickens in the USA are contaminated with the pathogen Campilobacter and 16% are contaminated with Salmonella (only 29% were bacteria free).
- Maintaining beneficial flora is an effective way to prevent pathogen growth (commercial products – no clinical evidence of their effectiveness).
- Microbiological methods, which control pathogen growth, are at an initial stage in the USA and Kazakhstan. Methodology uses a consortium of lactic acid bacteria to prevention of food contamination.
This work is based on recent discoveries of therapeutic microbial consortia by Kazakh scientists, ORNL expertise in scale-up of fermentative processes for large-scale production of microorganisms, and USDA and Kazakh expertise in using animal models to test new therapeutic products.
This project is a joint project between the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), ContiGroup Companies, Inc., and research laboratories of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Science.
Authors of the project, from ORNL and USDA-ARS, conducted research concerning the development of the lactic acid bacteria consortium that is an active inhibitor against Salmonella, Staphylococcus, E. coli (Subcontract # 17Y-GTN45V between DOE USA and Ministry of Science, RK, 1998-1999). The test of this product on mice, chickens and calves has shown the expedience of further research on creation of a probiotic to prevent disease in animal and poultry, caused by septic microorganisms. Results of the research were approved by the U.S. Department of Energy in January 1999.
The overall goals of this effort are:
- to elucidate the fundamental microbiology and biochemistry of large-scale production of the new antibiotic-like product, discovered by Kazakh scientists;
- to devise a scheme for fermentative production of the product at laboratory and pilot scale;
- to conduct extensive animal testing of the product to ensure its suitability for use as an animal feed additive;
- to commercialise the product and transfer the technology to a U.S. company that desires to produce and market the product in both Kazakhstan and the USA.
Tasks:
1. Product identification.
2. Fermentation – batch cultivation of probiotics.
3. Bacteriocin identification, purification, characterisation.
Initiation of probiotic performance efficiencies (laboratory and field testing).

Methods:
1. Chemostat cultivation of microorganisms.
2. Extraction and purification of biologically active peptide using baro-membrane technology.
3. Biochemical and biophysical characterisation of peptide.
4. In vitro/in vivo testing of purified product.
5. Development of methods for delivery into the diet
All experiments will be performed with planning and mathematical analysis of biological experiments and the creation of a mathematical model of the technological process.

Technical-scientific and commercial value of the project:
· Development of new technology to obtain natural biologically active substances based on co-cultivation of lactic acid bacteria;
· Production of biologically active additive to diet;
· Providing the population with easily restorable food;
· Improvement of quality and useful properties of food.

Expected results:
1. Technology of fermentation of the probiotic, based on microbiological consortium.
2. Commercialisation of the product and the technology used to obtain it.
3. Field testing a new probiotic (chickens/hogs/cattle) that allows the prevention of contamination of food by pathogenic microorganisms and that increase immunology in human beings.
As a result, a novel antimicrobial product, BIOCONS (a probiotic, which will be able to control the pathogens from the digestive tract of animals and poultry), will be developed. It will have great benefit for the human race – providing food safety and the prevention of food contamination by pathogens.
Project implementation is possible on regional, national, and international levels.

Foreign collaborators

Together with foreign participants (Oak-Ridge National Laboratory, USA and the European Laboratory of Biological Control, France) detailed biochemical research, concerning the analysis of structure and the properties of the obtained biologically active substances, biomedical tests and implementation of the project at an international level will be performed.

The implementation of the project helps scientists from Kazakhstan, Europe and the USA in the following ways:
· it redirects their skills to peaceful activity, encourages applied and fundamental research in the provision of the world population with the natural non-polluting biologically active components;
· it prevents and reduces the number of different diseases among humans and animals and contamination of the environment by parasitic and hazardous (to humans) substances;
· it increases the economic efficiency in social, industrial, agricultural and ecological areas.

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