Ideal ingredient calling card: probiotics

Live micro-organisms that benefit the host

Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus coagulans, Probiotic yeast

FAO definition: "live micro-organisms administered in adequate amounts which confer a beneficial health effect on the host"

Fermenting milk and yogurt, kefir, buttermilk or karnemelk

Vegetarian sources: Pickled vegetables, tempeh, miso, doenjang, kimchi, sauerkraut, soy sauce

Human gut and breast milk

Introduced in 1907 by Russian Nobel laureate Eli Metchnikoff

Health benefits were first documented in 1000 BCE in Ayurvedic treatise by Charaka Samhita

Everybody needs them – they’re tied to gut and immune cell functions

Not all bugs are the same: strain, condition specific, dose specific

Potential to correct gut issues, but biomarkers are still a sticky matter

Formulated and marketed as medical foods

Currently, no approved health claims for probiotics

Confused by highly proprietary and scientific mumbo jumbo

Proliferation of brands – everyone’s naming their bugs

Vulnerability to heat and harsh chemicals restricts application in prepared meals manufacture

Encapsulants protect but also lower bioavailability

Cost major deterrent for food firms

The global H1N1 pandemic acted as a major catalyst

Consumers believe daily dose is good for you

Babies need them so does everyone else including animals

Biotherapeutic effects counteract ills of highly processed foods

Spells palpable RELIEF for gut-health issues

Consumer movies such as Microwarriors and “Germs with a Positive Attitude” popular on YouTube

Probiotics manage good/bad balance of the ~1014 (100,000,000,000,000) bacterial cells in the human body

Modulate gastrointestinal health particularly diarrhea, colon cancer and irritable bowel syndrome

Protect immune function at all ages; several scientific studies underway

Studies show cholesterol reduction and protection against cardiovascular disease

Delay or prevent inflammatory deterioration

Allergy preventive action and a multitude of benefits may soon translate into clinical effects

Handbook of Prebiotics and Probiotics Ingredients, SS Cho and ET Finocchiaro, CRC Press; U.S. Probiotics

Ingredient Intelligence Monograph: Probiotics