My sister travelled to South East Asia earlier in the year...

My sister travelled to South East Asia earlier in the year before COVID-19 really took off and took Travelan with her to keep her immunity and gut health up while there - her main concern, being a medical scientist, was food poisoning/ contamination. I had a read about Travelan soon after she left because I was curious as to what the active ingredient was... turns out it is Bovine Colostrum, that IMC have supposedly jacked up by immunising the cows which are exploited for producing their product.

Colostrum (known colloquially as beestings,[1] bisnings[2] or first milk) is the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including many humans) immediately following delivery of the newborn.[3] Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth. Colostrum contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease. In general, protein concentration in colostrum is substantially higher than in milk. Fat concentration is substantially higher in colostrum than in milk in some species, e.g. sheep[4][5][6] and horses,[7][8] but lower in colostrum than in milk in some other species, e.g. camels[9] and humans.[10] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colostrum

Immunron's two referenced products that use Bovine Colostrum are Travelan and Protectyn.

The medicinal ingredient in Travelan® is hyperimmune bovine colostrum powder (200mg) enriched with anti-E.coli antibodies. Travelan® is anti-microbial. It is not an antibiotic and will not cause antibiotic resistance.The non-medicinal ingredients of Travelan® include croscarmellose, sodium, glucose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and colloidal silicon dioxide.TRAVELAN® CONTAINS COW’S MILK PROTEINS AND LACTOSE. - https://www.travelan.com/us/what-is-travelan/#travelan-ingredients

Protectyn® contains a natural formulation of hyperimmune bovine colostrum that is enriched with anti-LPS antibodies that enter the digestive system targeting harmful bacteria and their LPS toxins. Once bounded by the antibodies in Protectyn® , these harmful elements can be safely removed from the body. - https://www.immuron.com.au/protectyn/

IMC has stated that their specific "hyperimmune" variants of Bovine Colostrum are enriched with anti-E.Coli antibodies and anti-LPS antibodies but I had a quick read and found that Bovine Colostrum in itself without being "hyperimmuned" contains these antibodies already:

Inhibition of Escherichia coli by bovine colostrum and post-colostral milk. I. Complement-mediated bactericidal activity of antibodies to a serum susceptible strain of E. coli of the serotype O 111. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1445769/

Effect of dietary bovine colostrum on the responses of immune cells to stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide -https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24234910/

Bovine colostrum modulates cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and phytohemagglutinin -https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19014336/

This got me curious so I had a look around at what other products are available that are made from Bovine Colostrum. I found the following:

In Australia:

https://www.wagnerhealth.com.au/products/super-colostrum-chew/
https://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/buy/84695/Wagner-Super-Colostrum-Chewable-200-Tablets

Each chewable tablet providesBovine colostrum powder400mgEquiv. Bovine immunoglobulin G 80mgContains lactose and sugars.


In the US:

https://au.iherb.com/pr/California-Gold-Nutrition-Colostrum-Powder-Concentrated-7-05-oz-200-g/52394
https://au.iherb.com/pr/California-Gold-Nutrition-Colostrum-Concentrated-240-Capsules/52395

California Gold Nutrition Colostrum is collected within the first 12 hours when the milk has significantly higher levels of Immunoglobulins and Proline-Rich-Polypeptides. This Colostrum is from USDA Grade A Diary cows raised in the USA and contains no rBST and no Antibiotics. The Colostrum is low heat processed, concentrated, standardized to 15%** PRPs and 20%** IgG and combined with Non-GMO Sunflower Lecithin for stability.

Colostrum (Bovine Pre-Milk) 1,000 mg Immunoglobulins (IgG) 200 mg Proline-Rich Polypeptides (PRPs) 150 mg


Both of these alternative products appear to contain significantly higher concentrations of Colostrum and Immunoglobulins...