Local small businesses and health-focused startups could become licensed producers, packagers, and distributors of a new supplement developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The new paediatric probiotic gummy developed by the CSIR has the potential to spark small business growth and shift the balance of biomanufacturing power back home.
According to the CSIR, developing affordable probiotics for paediatric health is a vital step in strengthening children’s overall wellbeing, as the early years are critical for the development of a healthy gut microbiome.
It plays a key role in digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and long-term disease prevention.
What sets this innovation apart is not just the science—it is made locally, with the power to unlock new opportunities for small-scale producers, health startups, and local distributors in a market long dominated by costly imports.
The gummies are powered by Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri), a well-documented probiotic bacterium with known benefits for gut and immune health.
The initiative aims “to establish a localised, techno-economically feasible production process for L. reuteri,” the CSIR explained.
It’s a move with the potential to reduce costs, ensure product transparency, create jobs, and support the local economy through local bio-manufacturing.
CSIR researcher Lebohang Malata said the technology focuses on producing L. reuteri at a manufacturing scale (200 L stirred tank bioreactor) using optimised upstream and downstream processing techniques.
The project tackles a fundamental challenge. South Africa’s heavy reliance on imported probiotic supplements, which can be expensive and inaccessible to the average household.
By localising production, the CSIR is also unlocking new economic value for the country.
Global studies show L. reuteri can reduce the duration of acute diarrhoea, ease symptoms of colic, and improve digestive health in infants and young children.
While the gummy format makes it easier for kids to take, the real breakthrough is systemic by replacing imports, creating jobs, and boosting trust in South African health innovation.
Township-based wellness stores, rural clinics, school feeding programmes, or even community pharmacies stocking the locally made gummy—each representing a new node in a decentralised could boost the health-based economy.
Azwi@vutivibusiness.co.za
