Capilano, has announced the launch of the world’s first clinically tested* prebiotic honey, Beeotic.
Listed with the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a therapeutic good, Beeotic is the result of extensive research and a world-first clinical study conducted through the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to identify the widely recognised, but until now unproven, prebiotic health potential of select Australian honeys.
On shelves of leading supermarkets, pharmacies, and select health stores from Monday 19 September, Capilano Managing Director, Dr Ben McKee, said the launch of Beeotic allowed Capilano to cement its role in the lives of health conscious consumers around the world.
“This world-first health and wellness innovation has been a long time in the making, and marks an exciting time for both Capilano and our beekeepers,” Dr McKee said.
“We know that our consumers care about their health and wellbeing, and we are immensely proud to be able to deliver an industry-first product that gives people the option to improve their overall digestive health whilst enjoying their favourite great-tasting honey.
“Made from 100 per cent pure Australian honey, Beeotic offers a natural and convenient way to boost digestive health for adults and children alike.”
The scientific community has long believed honey to be a good source of prebiotics, but as Microbiology and Immunology specialist at UNSW Professor Patricia Conway explained, until now, there has never been any human clinical studies to support this.
“Honey has been used to help normalise digestive balance for many years. The focus of the clinical study was to scientifically validate the specifications of a prebiotic honey to deliver consumers certainty around its potential health and wellness benefits,” Professor Conway said.
“Consuming prebiotic rich foods can help the good bacteria in your gut grow, improving the good- to-bad bacteria ratio and therefore helping improve your digestive health.
“The results of the clinical study found that at a dose of 14mL, approximately one tablespoon per day, certain honeys significantly raised the levels of good bacteria and suppressed potentially harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. Furthermore, levels of good bacteria decreased once the participants stopped taking the honey for a period of time.
“The discovery of eight key oligosaccharides believed to be contributing to the prebiotic activity of honey was identified, which allows Capilano to test and detect, with certainty, the honeys which contain the beneficial prebiotic oligosaccharides.”
Dr Ben McKee said Capilano had made a considerable investment into developing industry-first testing methods to identify honeys that deliver this prebiotic content.
“Each batch of Beeotic honey is independently tested using our pioneering technology which we are in the process of patenting,” Dr McKee said.
“The tests look for particular sugar profiles in order to identify which honeys contain the required prebiotic components. Nothing is added, nothing is taken away, Beeotic is just 100 per cent pure Australian honey.
“Best of all this premium quality prebiotic honey is made right here in Australia, hand collected by our network of Australian beekeepers.”
*Based on published clinical study results as at 19/08/16 Always read the label. Use only as directed.