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Application note · October 2025

Bac³Beads: spherically shaped mucin-based growth booster beads

Bac³Beads are spherically shaped, mucin-based growth booster beads for hard-to-grow and productive bacteria in dynamic culturing systems such as bioreactors and fermentation setups. This note shows how Gut³Beads boost anaerobes, probiotics and beneficial gut bacteria.

Gut³Beads
Growth boosters · Anaerobes · Bioreactors
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Gut³Beads
Gut³Beads kit

Product Gut3Beads; also Vag3Beads and custom Bac3Beads

Organisms Akkermansia muciniphila, Veillonella parvula, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, donor gut microbiota

Compared with Standard media alone (Medium 104 with mucin, Columbia, MRS)

Readouts DNA concentration, metabolic activity, bead stability in pancreatin, community composition

Formulations and oxygen profile

Composition and oxygen distribution

Table of mucin and NaCl content for Gut³Beads, Vag³Beads and Bac³Beads, and a chart of oxygen tension across the depth of a bead.
Chemical composition of Gut³Beads, Vag³Beads and Bac³Beads, and oxygen tension across the depth of a bead.
  • Gut3Beads, Vag3Beads and custom-tailored Bac3Beads differ in mucin and NaCl content.
  • Oxygen and nutrient diffusion profiles favourable for anaerobic bacterial colonisation.
Note Current formulations use commercially available porcine gastric mucin type III. Ongoing R&D for synthetic substitutes.

Boost growth of hard-to-culture intestinal microbiota

Assays performed using standard media supplemented with Gut3Beads.

Akkermansia muciniphila and Veillonella parvula

DNA concentration over culture time and increase in metabolic activity for Akkermansia muciniphila and Veillonella parvula, with Gut³Beads versus standard media.
DNA concentration over culture time (left) and increase in metabolic activity after supplementation (right), for A. muciniphila and V. parvula.
  • Validated increased DNA concentration and metabolic activity versus traditional methods.

Boost probiotic production

Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paracasei

DNA concentration over culture time for Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus paracasei, with Gut³Beads versus MRS medium.
DNA concentration over culture time with Gut³Beads and in MRS medium.
  • Gut3Beads boost Lactobacilli proliferation.

Potential prebiotic activity and pro-, prebiotic delivery

Stability and prebiotic action

Bead mass over incubation time in pancreatin for two formulations, and stacked bar charts of relative abundance of beneficial, mucosa-associated and opportunistic bacteria over time.
Bead mass in pancreatin over time (left), and relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, mucosa-associated bacteria and Pseudomonadota in donor microbiota cultures over time.
  • Stability in pancreatin of two Bac3Beads formulations.
  • Enhances the growth of beneficial bacteria known to support mucosal barrier integrity.
  • Promotes the proliferation of mucosa-supporting bacteria.
  • Reduces proliferation of opportunistic pathogens.

Key features

  • Mucin-based Spherically shaped, mucin-based growth booster beads.
  • Built for dynamic culture Designed to boost the growth and metabolic activity of hard-to-grow and productive bacteria in bioreactors and fermentation setups.
  • Anaerobe-friendly Engineered with oxygen and nutrient diffusion profiles favourable for anaerobic bacterial colonisation.

Applications

  • Growth of hard-to-culture intestinal microbiota
  • Probiotic production
  • Pro- and prebiotic delivery

Keep reading

Product

Gut³Beads

Mucin-based beads that boost the growth of hard-to-culture gut bacteria.

Application notes

All application notes

Notes for every model, by anatomical site, on Our Science.

Scaling up a hard-to-culture strain?

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