ProOFs

Mechanisms influencing viability and product quality attributes along the process chain of probiotic oral film production (ProOFs)

Sponsor: DFG - project number 537669582

Contact person: Tobias Projahn

Summary of the overall project:

The health benefits of the administration of probiotics rely on maintaining microorganism viability and ensuring targeted colonization at the intended site. Beyond the gastrointestinal tract, the oral cavity and pharynx have emerged as primary targets for probiotic delivery. This creates a clear need for dosage forms that minimize cell stress and damage during processing while enabling site-specific release in the mouth. For this application, fast-disintegrating oral films offer a particularly suitable platform. Yet, manufacturing these films with live microorganisms presents a major challenge. In particular, the complex interplay between formulation and processing parameters, cell viability, and the physical-mechanical properties of the film is not yet fully understood. The drying of the films is of particular importance in this context, which is why inline measurement methods (PAT) are being developed as part of the project.

Goals and tasks of iPAT:

• Method development for microbiological and physical-mechanical characterization of probiotic, orodispersible films
• Evaluating formulation and process parameter effects on viability to pinpoint inactivation mechanisms
• Storage stability studies
• Model derivation for rational process and formulation design and transfer to other microorganisms

Fig.: Orodispersible Films