CJ Wellcare unveils strain-specific formula design technology to boost probiotic competitiveness

CJ Wellcare announced Thursday that it had unveiled research on its "strain characteristic-based formula design technology," designed to maximize the survival and functional performance of probiotics, at the International Human Microbiome Consortium (IHMC 2026).

The company has been pursuing research into synbiotics — formulations that combine probiotics with their preferred prebiotics — based on the insight that different probiotic strains utilize different prebiotics. At the conference, CJ Wellcare presented findings from genomic analysis and culture experiments conducted on various Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains, including its key patent strain CJLP133.

The experiments showed that CJLP133 achieved up to 200 times greater growth in a galactooligosaccharide (GOS) environment compared with standard glucose conditions. The research also confirmed that even among probiotics of the same plantarum family, the optimal prebiotic combination varies depending on each strain's unique characteristics.

CJ Wellcare plans to apply the "genome analysis-based strain-customized formula design technology" developed through this research to next-generation products under its premium probiotic brand BYOCORE. "We will continue research grounded in microbiome science to strengthen BYOCORE's expertise and brand competitiveness," a company official said.