Probiotics and Modern History

Lactobacillus bulgaricus – the first all natural probiotic, used as space-food

The experience gained in the study of Lactobacillus Bulgaricus was very useful over 30 years ago to the founder of Daflorn Ltd. Retired Major General prof. Alexandrov MD DSc. in developing the first probiotic food with Lactobacillus bulgaricus as a task set by the Bulgarian government, for the international space program „Intercosmos“.

Developments with code „Sorption“, registered as confidential under reg. No. 46/914/ 25.04.1986, Higher Military Medical Institute – Sofia and code „Calorie“, registered as confidential under inv. No. 01116 / 1986 Higher Military Medical Institute – Sofia were reported at a working conference of the member states of the Warsaw Pact in 1988.

These Bulgarian probiotic foods with Lactobacillus bulgaricus had passed comprehensive and profound experimental and clinical studies and tests on animals and humans in order to be used in space. These studies were registered in the Patent Library of the Bulgarian Patent Department AIS Siren under reg. No. 82307019. In July 1988 during his flight in space the second Bulgarian astronaut performed over 56 successful scientific experiments, including testing of this Bulgarian probiotic food for astronaut.

Foodstuffs for cosmonauts, containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus, are exposed today in the National Polytechnic Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria. Until 2000 these products were classified as secret and were produced as special foods.

Lactobacillus bulgaricus – first all natural probiotic, used by the army

Research teams from Military Medical Academy – Sofia, Laboratory of Air Hygiene, Joint Aeromedical Research Institute and the Medical Department at the Air Force Headquarters continued with the studies of the probiotic food with Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Extensive clinical studies of the effect of the probiotic foods with Lactobacillus bulgaricus on the vestibular loading and muscular strength in simulated ship-wreck were carried out on 56 sailors from the Bulgarian Submarine fleet and on the lipid metabolism and the immune system of 60 pilots from the Air Force of Bulgaria, who were put to extreme mental and physical exertions. There are lots of clinical studies of the use of probiotic food containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus as a nutritional support and a part of the medical treatment in 60 cases of severe intoxication accompanied by polyorganic insufficiency, treated in the Medical Military Academy in Sofia and Varna.

By the order of the Chief of Staff of the Bulgarian Army these probiotic foods were included in the regular diet of the pilots from the Air Force of Bulgaria, sailors from the Submarine fleet of Bulgaria and of commandos.

Probiotic foods containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus were used by soldiers from the Bulgarian Army during the missions in Cambodia, also by the Bulgarian scientific expeditions to Antarctica and the Himalayas and by Bulgarian sportsmen in the Olympic games.

Lactobacillus bulgaricus – private

Declassification of these developments allowed Daflorn Ltd, Bulgaria to release on the open market these probiotic products with Lactobacillus bulgaricus in Year 2000, as the scientific developments continued. These new generations of probiotic products with Lactobacillus bulgaricus of Daflorn Ltd. were used by the Bulgarian army in the missions in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, by workers in heavy industries (cement, road construction), professional sportsmen and people exposed to stress and mental strain – air traffic managers.

The probiotic foods with Lactobacillus bulgaricus are experimentally and clinically tested in leading medical institutions in Bulgaria and abroad – Military Medical Academy – Sofia, Medical Universities in Varna, Sofia and Pleven, National Institute of Emergency “Pirogov”, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Medical Military Academy in the Czech Republic and Poland, Medical University of Würzburg – Germany and German Sport University of Cologne. There are more than 10 experimental studies on laboratory animals aiming to study the beneficial effects of the probiotic products with Lactobacillus bulgaricus in cases of peptic ulcer disease, liver damage, radiation, antioxidant activity and abnormal lipid metabolism. There are over 80 clinical tests of over 4000 adults and 50 children for studying the effects in cases of infectious and non-infectious diarrhea, metabolic diseases, liver diseases, drug addiction, impaired immune system, increased cholesterol and damaged gastrointestinal tract.