Prebiotics and probiotics have existed in Japan for several decades, moving into the European market approximately 10 years ago. Now the trend has moved even further west into the United States, which has been witness to the reinvention of what used to be one of America's most hated foods-yogurt. The penetration of pre- and probiotics into the U.S. is expected to continue to evolve over the next decade.

Speaking at a recent conference in Den Haag, The Netherlands, John Young, Leatherhead Research Association, Surrey, U.K., said that "gut health" accounts for more than 1/3 of the market, followed by heart and bone health. Gut problems have widely penetrated populations worldwide. According to professor Philipe Marteau, Laennec Hospital, Paris, France, who spoke at the same conference, the situation has become so bad in France that it has been estimated that one in 20 individuals will develop colon cancer. Professor Marteau also noted that there are more incidences of colon cancer in France than any other cancer.

As companies have been actively addressing "gut health" in other nations of the world, the U.S. has been lagging behind, thus far stymied by consumer education issues about bacteria and unfamiliar terms such as "active cultures" and "probiotics." Despite this, the market is beginning to open up and niche manufacturers are becoming more active in the segment.

Much of the activity in the U.S. is "crossover" from other regions. For example, Nestlé, Lausanne, Switzerland, has introduced "LC1" in the U.S. for the first time. LC1 is described as a "friendly" acidophilus bacteria proven to support the body's own natural immunity. It contains Lactobacillus johnsonii, which is a naturally occurring probiotic that was discovered, researched and developed by scientists at the Nestle Re­search Centre. It is being marketed as a dietary supplement and for now is only available in 14 states, exclusively at General Nutrition Center (GNC) stores. Consumers nationwide may obtain LC1 at www.drugstore.com.

LCI has been on the market in Europe since 1996 bearing the slo­gan, "Day by day LC1 helps the body to protect it­self." Nestlé has also been educating its consumers through "The LC1 Guide to Probiotics"; in addition, the company has been presenting medical prac­titioners with more in­depth scientific information.

Dannon, Tar­ry­town, NY, a subsidiary of the Danone Group, Paris, France-the num­ber one selling yogurt on the market in the U.S. (Table 1)- recently launched a dairy-based dietary supplement beverage called "Actimel." Actimel includes Lactobacillus casei containing 1010 colonizing bacteria; the product has taken off in Europe and has been test marketed in Arizona and Colorado. The second phase of the test market, in Colorado only, is currently underway, after which national expansion plans will be determined.

Stonyfield Farm, Londonderry, NH, which was the first U.S. company to combine six strains of probiotic bacteria and the only U.S. company to include L. reuturi in its products, has several additional product launches in the works. Growing the probiotic and prebiotic segment, the company has developed a new blended yogurt product that combines active cultures and inulin. The new line of yogurts is appropriately called "Blends" and will be launched in May, available nationwide by July. The new yogurt line will be available in Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Tropical Fruit, Peach, Raspberry and Banana flavors. Stonyfield Farms is also planning to launch "YoSqueeze," a new squeezable yogurt aimed at the children's market, this summer

Also on the yo­gurt front is a new delivery form from General Mills, Minneapolis, MN. The company recently launched "GoGurt" yogurt, targeted for children. The product combines the health benefits of yogurt in a convenient, portable form.

Playing in both the functional food and dietary supplement segments, Lifeway Foods, Morton Grove, IL, offers both kefir beverages and "Basics Plus" supplements. Most recently, because of the increased consumer interest in soy, Lifeway made its soy kefir available in organic form under the brand name "SoyTreat" (formerly known as "Soy­Rich"). The company touts its SoyTreat product as the only organic soy kefir available in the U.S. In addition, the company also sells a dietary supplement line called "Basics Plus," which is enhanced with "Proventra" colos­trum from Galagen, for the body's immune system.

On the corporate front, the company in January signed an agreement with Dannon Foods, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Groupe Danone, allowing Lifeway access to Danone's brokers and distributors in the U.S. Danone has also become the owner of 20% of the outstanding shares of Lifeway common stock.

With a presence reaching from Japan to Australia to Europe, Yakult Honsha, Tokyo, Japan, can be credited as a pioneer in the probiotic segment. The company still has no presence in the U.S.; however, in Japan Yakult recently received FOSHU (foods for specified health use) status for several products. Since September 1999 Yakult products that have received FOSHU status include "Oligomate HP" table sugar, a series of Yakult fermented milk products and Yakult yogurt products.

Comprising more than 69% of Finland's dairy milk production, Valio Ltd., Helsinki, Finland, has also become a big player in the international functional foods market. In addition to its successful "Gefilus" probiotic product line, Valio has also begun licensing its Lactobacillus GG (LGG) strain to several other companies worldwide. Currently the LGG strain is available in products in 26 countries. For Valio the most recent development is its launch of skim milk yogurts. Applications currently being tested for the strain include ripened cheeses and infant foods.

In the supplement category CAG Functional Foods, a division of the international food company Con­Agra, Omaha, NE, has been a major player in the probiotics market with its "Culturelle" product. Culturelle contains Lactobacillus GG and was introduced in September 1998. The company was the first to introduce the Lactobacillus GG strain to the U.S. and is the only company that has the rights to sell it in North America. Culturelle probiotic supplements with Lactobacillus GG are available nationally in drug and health food stores.

On The Suppliers Side-A Look At The Latest Ingredients

With its patent protected Lactobacillus reuteri species, BioGaia Biologics, Stockholm, Sweden, has developed a new packaging option for the probiotic market. The Swedish R&D company has developed, and applied for patents for, a technology called "LifeTop" to facilitate the use of sensitive ingredients in beverages. The idea is to keep the sensitive ingredients and the liquid separated until the moment of consumption. The ingredients are packed in a container with protective properties integrated in the package closure. A special mechanism, designed to release the ingredients into the package will, when activated, open the container and empty it in an efficient way. LifeTop was originally developed to make new applications possible for BioGaia's Lactobacillus reuteri, since LifeTop extends the shelf life of L. reuteri from a few weeks to many months.

The latest development is a product that makes it possible to add the probiotic to long shelf life beverages packed in portion size packages. This new version, LifeTop Straw (above), is designed to run in existing straw applicators-Circle 130 on Reader Service card.

Cell Biotech, Seoul, South Korea, has introduced a protein coated lactic acid bacteria called "Prolac" for handling high stomach acid and bile acid tolerance. Prolac has the ability to survive through stomach acid and bile acid and go to the small and large intestine without any bio-activity loss. In addition, it also has longer stability at room temperature and functions as a synbiotic. Applications for Prolac include capsules, tablets and sachets-Circle 131 on Reader Service card.

Besides Chr. Hansen's newest al­liance with BioGaia Biologics, which allows the company to offer BioGaia's Lactobacillus reuteri for functional foods and health supplements worldwide, the Milwaukee, WI-based supplier has currently made its "Probio-Tec" probiotic capsules available in North America. While most probiotics need to be stored in the refrigerator to remain effective, the company's Probio-Tec capsules have a two-year shelf life without refrigeration. According to the company the en­hanced stability stems from Chr. Hansen's proprietary manufacturing and packaging technology-Circle 132 on Reader Service card.

Greentech, St. Beauzire, France, specializes in the study of lactic acid bacteria. Over 10 years of research has enabled to company to offer a wide range of freeze dried probiotics for product formulations including Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. bulgarims, Bifidobacterium longum, Streptococcus thermophillus-Circle 133 on Reader Service card.

GTC Nutrition Company, Golden, CO, is highlighting "NutraFlora," which it claims is the purest, most concentrated form of short-chain fructooligosaccharides (95%) and which acts a non-gritty soluble fiber and a prebiotic. Adding value to increasingly more food and medical food products in North America, NutraFlora is included in more than 500 products in Japan and Europe, including dairy products, granola bars, candy, sweeteners, cereal and baked goods. The benefits of NutraFlora include immune system strengthening, restoring hydration, aiding regularity, inhibiting harmful E. coli and clostridia bacteria and preventing toxic compound build up-Circle 134 on Reader Service card.

At last month's Expo West trade show, Imperial Sensus, Sugar Land, TX, introduced two new "Frutafit" inulin-based delivery systems specially designed to optimize nutrient absorption. The new systems include patent-pending effervescent technology and inulin granules. Benefits include better nutrient dispersion and absorption and increased compliance by children, the elderly and others who find pills and capsules hard to swallow.

In other news, the company's "Frutafit" inulin has been added to Helios Nutrition's organic kefir beverage. The patent-pending beverage, "Organic Kefir with FOS," works as a synbiotic combining the active probiotic cultures found in kefir and the prebiotic inulin to nourish and sustain the probiotic cultures. The beverage has a slightly tart flavor and effervescent mouthfeel. The product can be consumed alone, added to cereal or blended with orange juice or other fruit juices-Circle 135 on Reader Service card.

Institut Rosell, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has introduced three new chewable tablets in the area of pre-and probiotics. "Floralac" chewable (probiotic) tablets are cherry flavored and contain a guaranteed concentration of one billion active culture cells. Each tablet is formulated using three proprietary strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that have broad probiotic activity and are clinically effective. Floralac consists of Bifidobacterium longum R-0175, Lactobacillus acidophilus R-052 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus R-011.

Institut Rosell has also created chewable kefir tablets, which have a natural grape flavor and contain a guaranteed concentration of 500 million active culture cells derived from lyophilized kefir culture plus Lactobacillus rhamnosus R-011. Used regularly, Kefir chewable tablets are a good source of multiple strains of probiotic bacteria and yeast metabolites. The tablets provide many health benefits for both the mouth and esophagus and help renew the mucosal microflora throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The company has also introduced yogurt chewable tablets, which help to normalize the process of digestion. The yogurt chewable tablets deliver the synergistic activity of active culture probiotic strains and contain the three strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus R-187 and Streptococcus thermophilus R-083.

On the research front, Institut Rosell recently started an aggressive probiotic research program at Acadia University in Canada. According to its findings, certain strains of L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus are able to directly stimulate antibody production and heat-resistant structural components of these LAB appear to be responsible for this activity. The effects of the LAB on the immune response reflects their ability to modulate the production of certain cytokines by cells of the immune system and each LAB has a unique role in immune system activation. The research also found that certain strains of LAB, when grown under Rosell's industrial conditions, can stimulate the immune response of intestinal epithelial cells, indicating that the LAB are able to interact with and activate these cells-Circle 136 on Reader Service card.

Mak Wood, Thiensville, WI, most recently introduced room temperature stable capsules, which can be supplied in bulk or in finished packages. The range of probiotics have documented two year room temperature stability data-Circle 137 on Reader Service card.

Nebraska Cultures, Walnut Creek, CA, which manufactures "DDS-1" Lactobacillus acidophilus, has increased its presence on the worldwide web. At the company's website, DDS-1.com, the public as well as industry professionals can access a wealth of information from examples of proven scientific research by Dr. Khem Shahani, who is a probiotic specialist, to a full list of products and services offered by Nebraska Cultures-Circle 138 on Reader Service card.

Orafti Active Food Ingredients, Malvern, PA, has developed a new enriched inulin, "Raftilose Synergy1," which in addition to being a dietary fiber, also increases calcium uptake by 20%. Raftilose Synergy1, which is patent-pending, contains molecules with specific and carefully selected chain lengths. It has application in yogurts, spreads, dairy drinks, bread and confectionery that already contain about two grams per portion of Raftilose-Circle 139 on Reader Service card.

Sabinsa, Payson, UT, has unveiled its new synbiotic under the trade name "Lactospore." Lactospore is a sporiferous (producing cocoon-like structures, spores, sheltering live bacteria) preparation of Lactobacillus sporogenes and is a unique probiotic because it contains numerous lactobacilli in the form of viable spores. Lactobacillus sporogenes was first isolated and described in the 1930's and is an aerobic, heat resistant, spore-forming bacteria. The bacteria proliferates within the gastrointestinal tract and produces lactic acid; as a result the lactic acid lowers the pH and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. The recommended dose of Lactospore in adults is 100-200 million spores three times a day. In one study Lactospore was provided in 360 million spores per day, which lowered blood cholesterol over a period of three months. The significant therapeutic effect in containing diarrhea due to acute or chronic gastroenteritis was accomplished with 50-200 million spores of Lactobacillus sporogenes per day within few days-Circle 140 on Reader Service card.

New from Triarco Industries, Wayne, NJ, is "Cran Stat," an all-natural cranberry powdered extract proven to stop the growth of E. Coli. While Cran-Stat has indications against urinary tract infections, the product is also suited for use in combination with prebiotic and probiotics as it can overcome bad bacteria in the gut, complementing other prebiotic products such as fructooligosaccharides. Triarco's contribution to pre-and probiotics also includes "BeFlora," which is a sweet non-digestible dietary fiber that is selectively utilized as a nutrient by bifidobacteria and helps assist and strengthen the immune system, protect the intestines and nutritionally support intestinal transit time-Circle 141 on Reader Service card.