(Alliance News) - OptiBiotix Health PLC on Wednesday said it has signed a licencing deal with Granja Pocha SA to have its LPLDL probiotic added to a yoghurt project in Uruguay.
SACCO Srl "helped develop the yogurt formulation" and will supply OptiBiotix's Lactobacillus plantarum LPLDL to through a non-exclusive licence to dairy producer Granja Pocha.
The probiotic strain, intended to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, will then be included in fermented milk products in Uraguay. This includes "a functional yoghurt". Functional foods include foods which have had probiotic bacteria or vitamins added to them.
The licencing agreement has "no minimum sales targets" and was signed between Granja Pocha and OptiBiotix subsidiary ProBiotix Health Ltd.
ProBiotix Chief Executive Steve Prescott said: "We are pleased to announce this agreement with Granja Pocha, which will expand LPLDL's presence into South America and extends its use into dairy products. Granja Pocha was chosen as our partner to create a functional yogurt containing LPLDL because of their technical expertise in dairy, track record of successfully launching new products, and extensive knowledge of the local market.
"The work carried out by Granja Pocha is a significant milestone as it extends the use of LPLDL into functional foods, in this case dairy, which may be replicated in other territories. Functional foods like this yogurt containing ProBiotix's LPLDL provide a unique format for customer to receive the cholesterol reducing benefits of LPLDL and capitalises on a growing industry trend towards functional foods."
Shares in OptiBiotix were down 3.8% at 60.10 pence in London on Wednesday morning.
By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com
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OptiBiotix Health (OPTI)