Strain screening, fermentation from 5 to 100 L, concentration and freeze-drying — plus postbiotics and fermented ingredients for pet food and supplements.
Probiotics and postbiotics are among the fastest-growing functional ingredients in pet food, but the evidence and the processing challenges are both demanding. A strain must be identified, grown, concentrated and dried — and still be alive, or properly defined as a postbiotic, at the end of shelf life.
Our in-house bioscience lab grows and processes strains in fermentors from 5 to 100 L, with tangential-flow filtration, centrifugation and freeze-drying. We use the ISAPP definitions and match any claim to what the evidence supports.
Start your project with Guires PNLRun in our in-house bioscience lab, with partner laboratories for work outside our scope.
Growth, acid and bile tolerance of candidate strains for dog and cat products.
Media and conditions optimised from 5 L to 100 L pilot scale.
TFF, centrifugation and freeze-drying into stable powders.
Heat-treated microbial preparations defined to the ISAPP standard.
Fermented and enzyme-processed proteins and fibres for functional recipes.
Viability through extrusion, coating, storage and simulated digestion.
Extrusion heat kills most strains, so post-process coating or heat-tolerant strains are needed.
Probiotic evidence in dogs is strongest for acute diarrhoea and limited elsewhere.
Probiotic and postbiotic claims must meet the ISAPP definitions.
Growth conditions that work at bench scale must be proven at pilot scale.
Strain, format and intended claim.
Strain selection and growth tests.
5–100 L fermentation runs.
Concentration and freeze-drying.
Counts, identity and survival.
Protocol and pilot powders.
Peer-reviewed findings that shape how we design and interpret this work.
ISAPP sets the scientific definitions. In dogs, the clearest evidence for probiotics is in acute diarrhoea and digestive tolerance; results for other conditions are mixed, and publication bias is a concern.
We use the ISAPP definitions, match claims to what the data support, and measure outcomes in controlled studies.
A systematic review of 17 dog studies found only a very limited effect of probiotics in acute gut disease and no added benefit over diet in chronic disease.
We don’t rely on a probiotic alone for a digestive claim — the whole recipe does the work.
Probiotic trials in dogs and cats reporting an effect were far more likely to be published (5 of 7) than those that did not (1 of 5).
We encourage reporting every result, positive or negative.
Each application has its own page with the evidence, the actives and the claim boundaries we work within.
Firm stools, comfortable digestion and a balanced gut microbiome.
Nutrition that helps the immune system work as it should.
A healthy skin barrier and a glossy coat, driven by the right balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, protein quality and key micronutrients.
Helping pets stay healthy for longer.
Probiotics, postbiotics and fermented ingredients developed here are formulated into food, treats and supplements by our formulation team.
Regulation updates, the latest research, recalls and market trends that shape probiotics and fermented ingredients — written by our formulation, testing and regulatory teams.
Yes. We can screen, grow and dry client strains under agreed confidentiality.
From 5 L development runs up to 100 L pilot fermentors.
Full microbiome sequencing runs through partners; we prepare samples and run targeted PCR in-house.
Tell us your product, your question and your market — our scientists will come back with a study design and next steps.
Every Guires PNL product is formulated to comply with the FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines and the AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. Neither body issues certificates to manufacturers, so compliance is verified independently against their published standards — and every product comes with a complete documentation package for regulatory submissions in the EU, US, Australia and Asian markets.
How we verify compliance →