ProbiMelt: Advanced Probiotic Film For A Healthier You, Inside and Out

2. What inspired you to embark on this project?

This project was actually part of my final year project, it was one of the titles given by my supervisor, Dr Liew. The reason why I have chosen this title as my final year project is because I find it to be interesting as probiotic film is not that common in the market yet and at the same time I was also looking for a suitable product to improve oral health. So, at that time I’m thinking why not formulate a product ourselves and I was lucky and grateful to be given this opportunity to be able to be involved in this project.

About the Innovation:

3. Could you explain the core technology or science behind your innovation? How does it work?

The core technology behind this innovation is the way of producing the film. Our film is produced through freeze drying. The application of freeze drying in producing oral fast melt film is quite new and this method also helps to preserve the viability count of the probiotics besides improving the disintegration time of the film.

4. What problem does your innovation aim to solve, and why is it important?

Our innovation aims to improve the overall oral health of the public. This is because oral diseases such as tooth decay (cavities), gingivitis, gum (periodontal) disease, halitosis (bad breath), and oral cancer are a major health burden globally and it is estimated to have affected close to 3.5 billion people worldwide, with dental caries (tooth decay) being the most common condition.

5. How does your project stand out from other solutions currently available in the healthcare and life sciences field?

I think what makes our project stand out is the utilization of the unique dosage form – oral fast melt film in the delivery of probiotics, as the common types of probiotics that we commonly see in the market are tablets, pills, powder, juices etc. Our innovation serves as a novel and creative way of taking probiotics rather than the conventional way of swallowing pills or drinking probiotics juice. The film is also consumer friendly and easy to administer as it can be taken without water. This innovation helps to improve compliance and brings convenience to the consumer. Oral probiotics film is still novel in the Malaysia market and it has a high potential to revolutionize the supplement products in the Malaysia market.

Journey & Challenges:

6. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the development of your innovation? How did you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges that I have faced in this project is time management as I need to cope with the progress of the project while doing my industrial attachment at the same time. I can say it was really hectic that time but still manageable as I’m able to catch up with the project on the weekends. I’m really thankful to be in a great research team, and I am grateful to have my supervisor, Dr Liew, who has assisted me throughout this project and shoutout to my research member, Stella, who really supported me by helping me to prepare my samples during the weekdays while I was doing my industrial attachment. Of course, Zhi Qi too in preparing the items needed for this MTE. With them, we are able to complete this project in time and with success.

7. Can you share a pivotal moment or breakthrough in your project’s development?

I can say the pivotal moment of this project is the formulation of the product. The optimization of formulation alone has taken us months and in between there are lots of obstacles such as unavailability of the machine, formulation problems, stability issues, etc. After trying various types of formulations with different ingredients with multiple failures in between, we finally found the best formulation (currently) to be incorporated in the project. The satisfaction and feeling of success were the most in this process as compared to the others.

Impact & Future Goals:

8. What has been the impact of your innovation so far, and what do you hope to achieve in the long term?

I think the impact of this innovation is probably market differentiation where this innovation (ProbiMelt) has differentiated itself from other marketed probiotics supplements. ProbiMelt combines the benefits of being consumer friendly with the health benefits of probiotics towards oral health. The conveniences of this probiotics film will lead to better patient compliance and thus have a significant impact on the effectiveness of probiotic supplementation in maintaining oral health. In the future, we hope that we can conduct and support further research on the benefits and effectiveness of this probiotic film and aid clinical guidelines establishment to support broader acceptance in the healthcare community.

9. How do you envision your innovation changing the landscape of healthcare and life sciences?

The first point would be revolutionizing probiotic delivery that aims to enhance patient compliance and convenience. By providing a convenient, fast-dissolving alternative dosage form to traditional tablets and capsules, the consumer is able to incorporate probiotics into their daily routines, potentially leading to a better management of oral health and other associated conditions. The following point is improving market accessibility. The success of ODFs in the probiotic space could stimulate further innovation in the delivery of other dietary supplements and medications and serve as a model for developing novel delivery systems that aims to improve the efficacy and convenience of various treatments. The introduction of probiotic film makes probiotic supplements more appealing to a wider audience, potentially increasing market penetration and accessibility for various demographics, including those in regions where traditional probiotics forms are less available.