Paving the way for probiotics in foods & drinks

Global launches of probiotic foods and beverages have steadily increased during the last 10 years. Although most of the foods launched have been dairy products, the number of nondairy probiotic foods introduced — such as juices, breakfast cereals, confectioneries, snacks, baby food, processed meats and desserts — has also been on the rise. When formulating any probiotic product there are many critical parameters to consider. Today, scientific experts and regulatory agencies agree that, because probiotics are micro-organisms, they must be delivered live (viable) in order to exert their beneficial health effects. Therefore, probiotics require that greater care be taken in adding them to foods and beverages compared to many other functional ingredients.

A variety of health benefits have been attributed to ingesting probiotics, including enhanced immune health and improved digestion. These human health benefits are known to be dependent on both the probiotic strain and dosage. When making claims on a finished product, use of a probiotic shown to be efficacious in human clinical studies is highly recommended. Such studies should be double-blind, placebo controlled and published in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, a reference to the strain and dose needed in order to deliver the health benefit should be identified on the package.

Optimising probiotic viability in the finished product requires that manufacturers take into account how all aspects of formulation, processing (including packaging), and storage conditions may affect viability. Understanding these factors in an application is essential to minimising probiotic loss and delivering a probiotic dose shown to be efficacious.