International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)

What International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) does

ISAPP (International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics) is a non-profit scientific organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sacramento, California. It serves the global research, clinical, and industry community working on probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and fermented foods by convening leading academic scientists, producing consensus scientific publications, and providing educational resources. The organization is governed by a 14-member board of international academic experts, including a President (Prof. Maria Marco) and Vice President (Prof. Sarah Lebeer), with day-to-day operations led by Executive Director Marla Cunningham and a small staff of 5 employees.

ISAPP's core 'products' are scientific and educational assets: 97 scientific publications, more than 637 resources in its public library, 93 podcast episodes, 23 infographics, and a video catalog, plus an annual scientific meeting held in rotating global locations (Banff 2025, Tokyo 2026) and named scientific awards (Sanders, Glenn Gibson, Gregor Reid). It also operates a Students and Fellows Association established in 2010 and an Industry Advisory Committee that connects the academic agenda with commercial stakeholders.

ISAPP's revenue model is that of a member-supported scientific society: operating funds come from membership dues and donations, supplemented by industry contributions through the Industry Advisory Committee and event-related partnerships such as the Canadian Fermented Foods Initiative. No public financial figures are disclosed, and the organization does not appear to pursue commercial product revenue, licensing, or grant-funded contract research as primary income streams.

Name

International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)

Legal name

International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics

Website

https://isappscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISAPP is a non-profit scientific society, founded in 2002 and based in Sacramento, that convenes global academic experts to advance research and education on probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and fermented foods through publications, meetings, and awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Membership Organization

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH)

Keywords

• Scientific association membership
• Probiotic prebiotic research
• Expert consensus definitions
• Fermented foods science
• Scientific publication peer review

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: ISAPP engages industry members who support the organization's activities while the academic board directs them, suggesting membership fees as a revenue source.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations to support ISAPP's work through its website donation page.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ISAPP is a non-profit scientific association that advances the science of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and fermented foods by convening leading researchers from academia, industry, and government. The organization produces expert consensus definition papers published in peer-reviewed journals, hosts annual scientific meetings and international symposia, and disseminates educational content (publications, videos, podcasts, infographics, clinical guides) in multiple languages to scientists, clinicians, industry members, students, media, and consumers worldwide.

Product overview

ISAPP is a global scientific organization (non-profit) dedicated specifically to advancing the science of probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and fermented foods. The organization operates as a knowledge platform rather than a commercial product company, offering scientific publications, educational videos, podcasts, infographics, consensus definition papers, clinical guides, and annual scientific meetings. ISAPP's core offerings include producing evidence-based consensus statements published in peer-reviewed journals, hosting educational video series and podcast episodes featuring scientific experts, maintaining a resource library with infographics on biotics topics, providing clinical decision-making guides for healthcare professionals, and convening annual scientific meetings that foster collaboration among researchers from academia, industry, and government.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scientific Publications Scientific publications regularly produced as a result of ISAPP meetings and collaborations, including consensus statements, research papers, and expert consensus documents on probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and fermented foods, intended for scientists, clinicians, and industry members.
• Educational Videos Video content providing accessible explanations of biotics science, including the 'Science, Microbes & Health Video Series' and topic-specific educational videos explaining probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, fermented foods, and related concepts for clinicians, students, and consumers.
• Podcasts Audio podcast series featuring expert discussions on biotics science, microbiome research, and related topics across multiple seasons, featuring leading researchers and clinicians from around the world.
• Infographics Visual educational resources explaining biotics concepts including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, fermented foods, gut health, live dietary microbes, and microbiome topics, available in multiple languages including Vietnamese, Turkish, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Indonesian, German, French, Dutch, Chinese, Bulgarian, and Arabic.
• Annual Scientific Meetings Annual meetings known for high-caliber scientific discussion and collaboration, bringing together researchers from academia, industry, and government. The 2025 meeting was held in Banff, Canada, and a one-day scientific symposium is planned for Tokyo on October 6, 2026.
• Students and Fellows Association Program founded in 2010 to welcome the next generation of probiotic and prebiotic scientists into the ISAPP community, supporting early career researchers through mentorship, networking opportunities, and participation in annual meetings.
• Consensus Definition Papers Expert consensus documents establishing scientific definitions for probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, fermented foods, live dietary microbes, and gut health, published in peer-reviewed journals and referenced globally by regulators, academics, and industry.
• Clinical Guides Practice tools for health professionals to assist with clinical decision making around appropriate probiotic recommendations for patients, including guides for USA and Canada markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97 scientific publications produced as a result of ISAPP meetings and collaborations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Industry Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAPP has an industry advisory committee that provides input alongside the academic board of directors. Industry members support ISAPP's activities while the academic board directs them, maintaining a degree of separation from industry for the benefit of the field as a whole.
• ISAPP Students and Fellows AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ISAPP Students and Fellows Association (SFA) was founded in 2010 to welcome the next generation of probiotic and prebiotic scientists into the ISAPP community. SFA members participate in annual meetings and contribute to the scientific community.
• Canadian Fermented Foods Initiative (CFFI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAPP participates in Canada's Fermented Foods Initiative (CFFI), a new effort designed to support and advance research, education and innovation on fermented foods in Canada. Toronto hosted the inaugural workshop.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI): ILSI is a global scientific organization that convenes academic, industry, and government experts on nutrition, food safety, and health — directly comparable to ISAPP's tripartite community model and consensus-driven output.
• International Probiotics Association (IPA): IPA is a global trade association representing the probiotics industry, sharing ISAPP's probiotics focus and global membership model, though it is industry-driven rather than academic-governed.
• Gut Microbiome for Health (GMFH): GMFH is a scientific information and community platform dedicated to gut microbiome research, directly comparable to ISAPP's mission of advancing microbiome science through education, expert content, and researcher community building.

Regional players

• European Food Information Council (EUFIC): EUFIC is a European non-profit that translates food and nutrition science for consumer audiences — directly comparable to ISAPP's consumer education and evidence-based content mission, though EU-focused and broader in topic coverage.
• British Nutrition Foundation (BNF): BNF is a UK-based nutrition science charity providing evidence-based information, scientific events, and education — comparable to ISAPP's public-facing science communication and consensus-building model, though UK-focused and broader in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS): FEMS is a Europe-wide federation of microbiology societies that brings together scientists, publishes journals, and hosts congresses — comparable to ISAPP in microbial-sciences community building and publishing, but at broader microbiology scope and continental EU focus.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM): ASM is a much larger professional society covering all of microbiology; ISAPP's microbial focus on probiotics and gut health overlaps with ASM's domain, but ISAPP is a focused niche organization within the broader microbiology landscape.
• American Society for Nutrition (ASN): ASN is a broader professional nutrition society with ~7,000+ members, overlapping with ISAPP in nutrition science (and ISAPP board members have been honored as ASN Fellows), but operating at a much larger scale and covering all nutrition research rather than biotics specifically.
• American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): AGA is the major GI medical professional society with a clinical-guideline and educational-publishing mandate that overlaps with ISAPP's clinical guides and clinician education on biotics — though AGA covers all gastroenterology rather than biotics specifically.

Emerging players

• Yoba for Life Foundation: Yoba for Life is a social enterprise promoting probiotic fermented foods in developing nations, explicitly connected to ISAPP board member Prof. Remco Kort (2025 Sanders Award winner) — operates at a smaller scale and with a more applied, emerging-market focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ISAPPScience
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNhB0BifQ1TDLNCJIha_dSg/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/isappscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-scientific-association-for-probiotics-and-prebiotics
• Instagraminstagram.com/isappscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)