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Nutrition and ingredient specialist ADM has expanded its global licensing partnership with Asahi Group Foods, extending commercial rights for the science-backed postbiotic strain Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 into beverage applications across new international territories.
The agreement allows commercial beverage developers to integrate the postbiotic—which targets mood, mental stress, and sleep support—into functional drinks and shelf-stable liquid formulations. The transaction expands ADM's microbiome portfolio, providing food and beverage processors with heat- and moisture-resilient biotics tailored for ambient retail distribution.
The licensing expansion coincides with newly published clinical research in Frontiers in Nutrition, demonstrating that a single dose of L. gasseri CP2305 was associated with measurable shifts in brain activity linked to relaxation within a one-hour observation window, adding further clinical validation to the gut-brain axis.
"Through continuous innovation, we help our customers anticipate evolving consumer needs and bring new solutions to market," said Mark Lotsch, President of Global Health and Wellness at ADM. "By combining our scientific expertise, deep market insights and ongoing investment in research and development, we continue to advance our capabilities and identify new avenues to deliver solutions that meet consumers where they are. Our expanded licensing agreement with Asahi, which now enables L. gasseri CP2305 Postbiotic's use in beverages, is one example of how we deliver meaningful value for our customers and consumers."
Processing Resilience and Ambient Stability
Unlike live probiotic bacteria that often degrade when exposed to heat, moisture, or gastric acid, postbiotics, comprising inanimate microbial cells or their metabolic constituents, provide industrial processors with high processing resilience:
🔬 Formulation Stability: L. gasseri CP2305 retains functional integrity under elevated thermal processing, standard pasteurisation protocols, and high-water-content matrices.
🥤 Beverage Integration: Maintains shelf-life efficacy in ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, functional shots, and gummy supplements without requiring cold-chain distribution or refrigerated warehousing.
🌿 Application Versatility: Enables commercial brands to deploy gut-health and cognitive-wellness claims across ambient liquid refreshment formats where live cultures have historically encountered viability hurdles.
"We are excited to expand the global reach of L. gasseri CP2305 Postbiotic through our strengthened collaboration with ADM," said Yoshitomo Kanaoka, Managing Corporate Officer at Asahi Group Foods, Ltd.
"By combining Asahi's scientific expertise with ADM's strong commercialisation capabilities, we look forward to bringing the benefits of L. gasseri CP2305 to more consumers around the world and supporting the continued growth of the postbiotic category through innovation across food, beverage and supplement applications."
Clinical Research and Gut-Brain Modulation
The expanded commercial rollout is supported by human clinical trial data assessing the acute neurophysiological impacts of L. gasseri CP2305.
Published in Frontiers in Nutrition, the double-blind, randomised, crossover, placebo-controlled clinical study evaluated 28 healthy adults who consumed either an active dose of the postbiotic or a placebo control. Researchers monitored brainwave activity via electroencephalography (EEG), tracked heart-rate variability (HRV) through electrocardiograms (ECG), and assessed subjective stress and mood metrics over a 60-minute trial period:
Alpha Brainwave Acceleration: Participants exhibited a statistically significant rise in alpha brain activity across frontal, parietal, and occipital brain regions compared with placebo, signalling enhanced states of calm wakefulness and mental relaxation.
Autonomic Nervous System Regulation: Trial participants recorded improvements in HRV parameters associated with parasympathetic nervous system activation, commonly known as the "rest and digest" pathway.
Subjective Stress Reduction: Active cohort participants reported significantly reduced tension-anxiety scores and lower subjective mental stress measured against visual analogue scales (VAS).
Neurotransmitter Activity: Accompanying in vitro trials indicated that the postbiotic stimulated a sixfold increase in serotonin release from human intestinal cells, indicating a biological mechanism by which postbiotic structures interact with enteric pathways to influence central nervous system responses.
Targeted Functional Formulations
In addition to acute stress and sleep management applications, clinical trials indicate that L. gasseri CP2305 provides physiological support across targeted life-stage demographics, particularly women's health.
Documented trials indicate that regular intake of the strain assists in moderating premenstrual physical and emotional symptoms, reducing mild anxiety, and easing occasional constipation in younger women. In menopausal cohorts, trial results recorded improvements across both psychological and physical transition indicators.
By uniting Asahi's fermentation science with ADM's global application development network, the partnership equips functional food and drink manufacturers with a clinically supported ingredient capable of meeting consumer demand for stress relief, cognitive clarity, and gut-microbiome support in convenient daily formats.
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