A mature US yoghurt market does not mean there is no room for
growth, according to a new report, which identifies huge expansion
possibilities particularly in the area of probiotic and prebiotic
yoghurt products.
Danisco is introducing a new addition to its Howru probiotics line,
which it says was seen in the first of a series of
condition-specific studies to help restore the beneficial bacteria
in the human gut after taking antibiotics.
Scientists have called on Britain's food safety authorities to
recognise the superior health qualities of organic milk, after a
new study showed it contained higher levels of omega-3 than
conventional milk.
Elderly people could ward off digestive problems with probiotics,
said scientists at a briefing yesterday that may raise awareness of
the benefits amongst this sector of the population and help direct
marketing of consumer products.
New Zealand dairy Fonterra must add a warning label to its new
vitamin K-enriched milk and yoghurt to reduce the risk for people
taking the blood thinning drug Warfarin, said the New Zealand food
authorities yesterday.
Dairy Crest misused a clinical study on omega-3 in children to
claim that its St Ivel Advance milk could benefit some children's
ability to learn, says the UK advert watchdog in its report of the
case.
Dairy Crest has criticised Britain's advert watchdog for telling
the company to drop claims that its omega-3 milk could improve
children's ability to learn.
Adding riboflavin-producing bacteria to standard yoghurt could
boost the nutritional value and cut costs of conventional
fortification, suggests a joint Argentine-Dutch study.
China's first drinkable yoghurt product, containing MEG-3 fish oil,
is currently rolling out, and has received strong endorsement from
the Guadong Dairy Association.
Flora, the Unilever-owned margarine brand, is embarking on a major
campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of omega-3, following
consumer research indicating that the message is not being heard by
all family members.
A daily supplement of probiotics could reduce the risk of liver
cancer caused by fungal toxins in foods, a leading cause of the
disease in some of the world's most populous countries.
Dietary supplementation with an omega-3 enriched milk could be a
simple and tolerable way to ease cardiovascular risk factors linked
to metabolic syndrome, say Spanish researchers.
High intake of calcium and vitamin D, particularly from
supplements, may lower the risk of diabetes by 33 per cent, say
American scientists, as a leading European clinician reports that
over a billion people are vitamin D deficient.
France's Danone has announced a three-year licence with US-based
Integrated Genomics for access to the ERGO database and genomic
discovery system to enhance the group's probiotic understanding and
R&D.
Greek researchers have isolated three strains of bacteria from
dairy sources that have desirable probiotic properties and could be
applied in the food industry.
The first consumer product containing a probiotic strain derived
from human milk by Puleva Biotech has launched in Spain, and the
company hopes it may find a home in other foods for infants and
adults.
Scientists have devised a way of using 'live' bacteria in yoghurt
to deliver medicine that can prevent HIV infection, potentially
opening up a new avenue for probiotic dairy development.
Consumer watchdog Which? has questioned the efficacy of probiotic
products, claiming that there is no reliable research to prove that
they can help general well-being.
Australian omega-3 producer Clover Corporation is testing whether
microalgae could offer an alternative source of health fatty acids
to its current raw material supply, fish.
Probiotics, unheard of a year ago, are now being added to more and
more products in China, and look set to see rapid growth in demand,
according to key supplier Chr Hansen.
Danone, France's iconic dairy group, is working with a prestigious
French research institute to find new probiotic strains for dairy
products and understand more about how the 'friendly bacteria'
work.
A method of enriching milk with Omega 3 will result in products
without the fishy taste associated with the oil, Tetra Pak says in
marketing a dosing machine for the nutrient.
Omega-3 fatty acids are increasingly common on product labels but
few manufacturers are going through the complex formulation process
of using fish oils to make this claim.
Functional spreads are increasingly holding up value on the UK
margarine sector, says new research, as Dairy Crest plans to launch
a new range containing omega-3.
Chr Hansen's latest Magical Sensory Tour is designed to bring
innovative products to customers and underline the company's ethos
that ingredients can be fun and imaginative.
Probiotic ingredients are the main focus down at Danisco Cultures'
research and development labs, but false claims are hampering the
market, business director Patrick Veau tells
DairyReporter.com.
The French dairy group will launch its successful Activia probiotic
yoghurts in the US at the start of next year as American consumers
catch on to the benefits of 'friendly bacteria'.
Juices containing probiotic bacteria will see increasing interest
from drinks and dairy producers looking to add value, predicts
Finnish functional dairy innovator Valio.
Too many producers are falsely labelling their products as
probiotic and could present a stumbling block to the sector's
expansion, says the marketing head of leading innovator Valio at
Drinktec 2005.
Europe's food risk assessment body has issued its opinion on
nutrition claims for products containing omega-3 fatty acids, which
will be used in forthcoming laws on nutrition and health claims.
If anyone doubted that the US probiotics market's star is rising,
kefir-maker Lifeway Foods' latest results, positive in spite of
milk price vagarities, should be enough to convince them.
Elderly people who are frail and at risk for bone fractures may be
helped somewhat by giving them both vitamin D and calcium,
according to the results of a new review of previous studies.
French probiotics firm Institut Rosell-Lallemand said it has been
included in a new government initiative to pool research into
cancer prevention and treatment.
A probiotic formulation developed by French/Canadian company
Institut Rosell reduced symptoms associated with IBS in tests on a
rat model, writes Dominique Patton.
A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may lower the risk of
developing premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a condition that affects up
to a fifth of all women, researchers reported yesterday.
Members of the European Parliament are today debating and voting on
proposals for two new controversial pieces of proposed legislation
that will affect food processors - one toput restrictions on the
health claims they make about...
The first omega-3 milks to hit the UK market will benefit from
increasing demand for healthy children's food, following a wave of
media reports on research into brain food and the poor quality of
school lunches, writes Dominique...
The message about the gut health benefit probiotics can deliver is
finally getting through to US consumers, according to a new report
on the state of the functional foods sub-category.
With the upcoming EU ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters
in animal feed, companies such as Medipharm and Chr. Hansen are
rushing to provide farmers with natural alternatives.
A drink containing a probiotic strain isolated from infants
relieved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome to the same extent as
pharmaceutical treatments for the condition, report Irish
researchers.
Not all strains of bacteria used in probiotic products on the UK
market survive through the entire digestive system, conclude study
results published this week by the Food Standards Agency, although
at least one strain in each of...
Danish ingredients company Chr Hansen has licensed the use of a
genomics tool to improve knowledge of how probiotic bacteria work.
It could help the firm develop new probiotic bacteria with superior
benefits over existing products.
