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Fibre that feeds the beneficial bacteria already in the gut.
Gut bacteria turn dietary fibre into short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate and butyrate, compounds that nourish the gut lining and take part in immune signalling. A fibre-poor diet starves that process.
Space food is compact, processed and low in fibre variety. The Prebiotic Fibre and SCFA Support Blend is a designed combination of fibres that feeds beneficial bacteria, intended to be taken alongside the SpaceBiotic Spore Capsule so the probiotic has something to work with.
It is a dry blend, so it can be stored without refrigeration alongside the rest of the crew-health kit.
The problem
In astronauts on 6 to 12 month ISS missions, gut, skin, nose and tongue microbes all shifted, with changes linked to skin rashes and immune alteration.
Source: published spaceflight studies and NASA planning figures; refers to work by other groups.
The science
Why this approach.
The large intestine is home to trillions of microbes that ferment fibre the human gut cannot digest. The products of that fermentation, short-chain fatty acids, feed the cells that line the colon, influence inflammation and take part in communication between gut and immune system. The mix of fibres in the diet shapes which microbes thrive.
A crew eating compact, shelf-stable food will often get less fibre variety than on Earth. The blend is designed to restore that variety in a dry, stable form. Our key questions are which fibres to include, in what ratio, and how well the blend works together with a spore probiotic compared with either alone.
In use
Across the length of a mission.
How this product is intended to fit into a crew's routine, from loading to return.
Dry blend packed in single-serving sachets that store at room temperature.
Taken daily with the spore capsule, mixed into food or drink.
Continues through surface operations, with intake adjusted from crew feedback.
Returned or unused samples are tested for stability and fibre composition.
Design
Four decisions that shape it.
Fibre diversity
A blend of fibres rather than a single source, since different bacteria prefer different fibres.
Stability
Dry formulation with a storage target compatible with multi-year missions.
Palatability
Format and flavour designed for daily use by a crew with limited food variety.
Companion product
Specified together with the spore probiotic and tested as a pair.
Risks
What could go wrong, and what we do about it.
| Risk | How we address it |
|---|---|
| Gas and tolerance | Dose finding and gradual introduction in tolerance studies before any longer use. |
| Ingredient stability | Dry formulation and accelerated storage studies on every component. |
| Benefit unproven in space | No claim is made; evidence is graded and tested in analog crews. |
Test plan
Ground, analog, orbit.
A staged programme: ground first, then analog crews, then flight.
Ground testing
Accelerated storage and ingredient-stability testing, plus gut-model fermentation studies measuring SCFA output.
Isolated-crew studies
Tolerance and acceptability in analog crews.
Flight testing
Passive stability payload on a station with samples returned.
Partnerships
Nutrition and microbiome researchers at agencies and institutes.
Questions
FAQ.
What does SCFA stand for?
Short-chain fatty acids, produced when gut bacteria ferment fibre.
Is it a medicine?
No. It is a dietary support product in development and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Related
Works well with.
SpaceBiotic Spore Capsule
A room-temperature probiotic built on bacterial spores.
In developmentRead more02Ferment-in-Space Starter Kit
Fresh yogurt and kefir on the journey, from dried cultures.
ConceptRead more03Immune Resilience Stack
Spore probiotic plus immune-supporting ingredients for isolated crews.
Research programmeRead moreAll products on this site are under research and development. They are not approved or cleared by any regulator and are not available for sale. Nothing here is medical advice, and no product is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Descriptions of research refer to published studies by other groups and do not claim that our products have been proven in space. Prebiotic Fibre and SCFA Support Blend is a product under research and development and is not available for sale.
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