IPL

What IPL does

IPL (株式会社IPL), founded in October 2008 in Hiroshima, Japan, is a private biotechnology company spun out of Hiroshima University that specializes in the isolation, characterization, and commercialization of plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (植物乳酸菌). The company maintains a proprietary library of more than 1,200 lactic acid bacteria strains sourced from fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, with six strains — LP28 (Pediococcus pentosaceus, isolated from longan), SN35N (Lactobacillus plantarum, from pear), SN13T (Lactobacillus plantarum, from banana leaf), G-15 (Enterococcus avium, from ginseng), IJH-SONE68 (Lactobacillus paracasei, from fig), and S-03 (Aspergillus oryzae koji mold) — having reached formal commercialization or advanced clinical validation. Functional claims backed by randomized double-blind trials include visceral fat and fatty liver reduction, constipation relief, γ-GTP liver marker improvement, GABA-mediated stress reduction, antiviral exopolysaccharide activity, anti-inflammatory effects on ulcerative colitis and contact dermatitis, melanin inhibition, and periodontal pathogen suppression.

The company's business model rests on three intertwined revenue streams: technology licensing and patent royalties from its proprietary strain portfolio to B2B partners; co-development and co-commercialization of finished functional food, beverage, and sake-lees cosmetic products through manufacturing partners including Nomura Dairy Industry, Sakurao B&D, and Chugoku Brewing; and licensing of formulations into South Korea (Nanyang Dairy) and China (Shanghai Huiwen, C-Ocean). The BioUniv. brand serves as the consumer-facing label for university-industry co-developed products. Underlying the model is a deep institutional partnership with Hiroshima University's Pre-disease/Preventive Medicine Research Department — led by IPL co-founder Professor Masatoshi Sugiyama — which provides continuous access to a 5,200+ volunteer registry for clinical claim validation and an academic publication pipeline that functions as the company's primary marketing channel. The firm was renamed from 株式会社植物乳酸菌研究所 to 株式会社IPL in December 2021 to reflect its evolution beyond a pure research laboratory identity.

Pricing is set by downstream manufacturer and distributor partners rather than IPL directly, consistent with a B2B technology-licensing architecture where IPL monetizes upstream IP rather than end-consumer products. End applications span functional food (yogurt, beverages, furikake, confectionery, liqueurs), cosmeceutical skincare (facial cleansers, toners, creams), dental healthcare, pet supplements, and pre-disease/preventive medicine — a breadth enabled by the platform's portfolio of mechanistically distinct strains rather than a single lead asset.

Name

IPL

Legal name

株式会社 IPL

Website

https://ipl.jpn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IPL is a private Hiroshima University spin-off that isolates, characterizes, and licenses proprietary plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strains to B2B partners in functional foods, sake-lees cosmetics, beverages, and preventive health applications across Japan, South Korea, and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Probiotic Strain Licensing & Functional Ingredients

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Food Manufacturing (311), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Food And Kindred Products (2000), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultures, Probiotics & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Yeast, Adjuncts) (CRADAOAI)

Keywords

• Plant-derived probiotics
• Lactic acid bacteria
• Functional food ingredients
• Fermented skincare cosmetics
• Biotech strain licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiroshima

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing and Patent Royalties: IPL licenses its proprietary plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strains (LP28, SN35N, SN13T, G-15, IJH-SONE68), fermentation technologies, and patent rights to partner companies for use in functional foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical products. Revenue is generated through licensing fees and ongoing royalty arrangements based on product commercialization.
2. Functional Food and Beverage Products: Co-developed and co-commercialized products with partner companies including yogurt drinks, fermented beverages, confectionery, furikake seasonings, and liqueurs using proprietary bacterial strains. Products target digestive health, liver function, anti-obesity, and beauty benefits.
3. Cosmetics and Skincare Products: Co-development with Chugoku Brewing Co. and Sakurao B&D for skincare cosmetics using fermented sakekasu (sake lees) extracts with plant lactic acid bacteria (SN35N and G-15 strains), including facial cleansers, toners, and creams marketed under university-industry collaboration branding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IPL isolates, cultivates, and licenses proprietary plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strains and koji mold fermentation technology to manufacturers of functional foods, beverages, cosmetics, supplements, and dental healthcare products. The company maintains a proprietary library of over 1,200 plant-isolated strains and licenses individual patented strains (LP28, SN35N, SN13T, G-15, IJH-SONE68, S-03) to partners who commercialize products under their own or the BioUniv. brand.

Product overview

IPL (株式会社IPL, formerly 株式会社植物乳酸菌研究所) is a Hiroshima University spin-off venture established in October 2008, specializing in the research, development, and commercialization of plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (植物乳酸菌). The company's core portfolio centers on five proprietary bacterial strains—LP28株 (Pediococcus pentosaceus LP28), SN35N株 (Lactobacillus plantarum SN35N), G-15株 (Enterococcus avium G-15), SN13T株 (Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T), and 麹菌S-03株 (Aspergillus oryzae S-03)—isolated from various plant sources. These strains are the foundation for functional food products, skincare cosmetics, and health supplements. The company also maintains a library of over 1,200 plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strains and operates through industry-academia partnerships including a clinical evaluation department with over 5,200 registered volunteers. The BioUniv. brand is used for industry-academia joint products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BioUniv. (ビオ・ユニブ): Brand name and logo established for products developed through industry-academia collaborative research under the Sugiyama Project, originally trademarked by Hiroshima University and later transferred to the company.

Products and services

• LP28 Strain (Pediococcus pentosaceus LP28) Plant-derived lactic acid bacteria strain isolated from longan (dragon eye fruit) with clinically validated anti-obesity effects. Demonstrated efficacy in reducing visceral fat and fatty liver in both animal studies and human clinical trials. Commercialized in confectionery, furikake seasoning, and yogurt products by IPL's licensees.
• SN35N Strain (Lactobacillus plantarum SN35N) Plant-derived lactic acid bacteria isolated from pears that produces extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) with antiviral activity, hyaluronidase inhibition activity, and gastric mucosal protection effects including anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. Used in liqueurs and fermented beverages.
• G-15 Strain (Enterococcus avium G-15) Lactic acid bacteria isolated from ginseng with high GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) production capability from glutamic acid. Licensed for use in supplements targeting stress reduction and relaxation effects in humans and pets.
• SN13T Strain (Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T) Plant-derived lactic acid bacteria isolated from banana leaves with high gastric acid and bile acid resistance. Proven in human clinical trials to improve constipation, liver function (γ-GTP reduction), and defecation frequency. Used in yogurt production by IPL's licensees.
• S-03 Strain (Aspergillus oryzae S-03) Koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) strain that produces gingipain inhibitors and growth-inhibiting substances against Porphyromonas gingivalis, the periodontal pathogen. Applicable in dental healthcare products.
• IJH-SONE68 Strain (Lactobacillus paracasei IJH-SONE68) Plant-derived lactic acid bacteria isolated from figs. Its exopolysaccharide demonstrates efficacy against ulcerative colitis, contact dermatitis, and chronic allergy conditions in clinical studies. Also improves gut microbiota associated with hepatic disorders.
• Drinkable Plant Lactic Acid Bacteria (飲む植物乳酸菌) Low-calorie, fat-free fermented ginseng beverage produced by fermenting selected domestic ginseng with plant-derived lactic acid bacteria. Developed and commercialized jointly with Nomura Dairy Industry Co., Ltd. (野村乳業).
• BioUniv. Skincare Cosmetics Skincare cosmetics including facial cleansers, toners, and creams using fermented sake lees (sakekasu) extracts with plant lactic acid bacteria (SN35N and G-15 strains). Developed through university-industry collaboration with Chugoku Brewing Co., Ltd. and Sakurao B&D, marketed under the BioUniv. brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Visceral fat reduction of 3.2% body weight equivalent in human clinical trials with LP28 strain
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IPL, KRIBHCO, Chambal FertilisersminorOthers · 1 January 2023In July 2025, Indian fertilizer companies IPL, KRIBHCO, and Chambal Fertilisers signed a five-year agreement with Saudi Ma'aden to import 3.1 million tonnes of DAP fertilizer annually. This refers to a different IPL (Indian Potash Limited), not this Japanese biotech company.
• 株式会社サクラオB&D (Sakurao B&D Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Technology partnership for sake lees-based cosmetics development. Sakurao B&D collaborated with Hiroshima University Professor Sugiyama and Chugoku Brewing Co. to develop skincare products using plant lactic acid bacteria (SN35N and G-15 strains) fermented sakekasu extracts, resulting in facial cleansers, toners, and creams.
• 中国醸造株式会社 (Chugoku Brewing Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Industry-university co-research partner for fermented cosmetics development. Through joint research, discovered that sakekasu (sake lees) fermented with plant lactic acid bacteria exhibits excellent moisturizing properties, leading to skincare product commercialization.
• 野村乳業株式会社 (Nomura Dairy Industry Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Long-standing technology partnership and co-development partner. Joint research resulted in the commercialization of 'Drinking Plant Lactic Acid Bacteria' (飲む、植物乳酸菌) in Spring 2012 - a zero-fat, low-calorie fermented ginseng beverage. Continued collaboration on functional food product development using IPL's proprietary bacterial strains.
• 広島大学 大学院医系科学研究科 未病・予防医学共同研究講座 (Hiroshima University Graduate School - Pre-disease/Preventive Medicine Research Department)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore academic partnership. Professor Masatoshi Sugiyama serves as both IPL's Representative Director (R&D) and as Professor at this department. The department provides clinical evaluation infrastructure with 5,200+ registered volunteer subjects for validating functional claims of IPL's proprietary strains.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IPL