NutraIngredient’s Snack Size Science brings you the week's top science every two weeks. This week we look at how probiotics may help keep babies healthy. A healthy baby is a happy baby.
Mapping how the gut microbiota respond to probiotic strains may help produce a framework for “evaluating and optimizing probiotic-based functional foods”, say researchers from Danone and Harvard.
Daily supplements of a probiotic may reduce the incidence of respiratory illness for infants during their first eight months of life, says a new study.
Daily supplements with probiotic Lactobacillus strains may reduce the incidence of acquiring the common cold by 12 percent, according to new research from probiotic player Probi.
The human nutrition division of French yeast specialist Lesaffre has launched what it says is only the second known probiotic yeast, and the first to directly target Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Daily supplements of Lactobacillus casei probiotics may reduce the incidence of diarrhea in children by 14 percent, says a new study based in an urban slum in Kolkata, India.
A ‘high-potency’ lactic acid bacteria supplement may ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in children, says a new study that echoes results from adult studies.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed it would be receptive to a probiotics monograph that may serve as the basis of a qualified health claim, the International Probiotics Association (IPA) has confirmed.
Leading players in the probiotics industry have offered their support to an independently produced documentary on the ingredients, which aims to educate consumers about their health benefits and dispel common misconceptions.
Daily consumption of milk fortified with probiotics and prebiotics may reduce the incidence of childhood illness, according to a community-based, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
A shift in gut microbial composition may explain the rising prevalence of chronic stomach upsets and even obesity among children in developed nations, suggests new research.
An academic review has underlined the promise of high pressure processing (HP) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) to ensure the viability and shelf life of probiotic dairy products.
Danone and Yakult have handed out another $100,000 for research into the benefits of probiotics for irritable bowel syndrome and the identification of new beneficial probiotic strains.
A new study conducted with Danisco probiotics has yielded mixed results over their benefits for eczema in children, although researchers suggest that larger studies could help identify more definitive benefits.
Combining probiotics with perinatal dietary counselling could help reduce the risk of diabetes in mothers and provide a “safe and cost-effective” tool in addressing obesity in children, according to a new study from Finland.
Nestlé was not dealt a financial penalty in its settlement this week with the Federal Trade Commission over immunity health claims being made for some of its probiotic products, but a class action is possible, says a food attorney.
Mars-owned Wrigley will pay consumers up to $7m after settling a class action that challenged its right to claim its Eclipse gum was, "scientifically proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath".
Ohio-based probiotics supplier Ganeden Biotech has formalized its business relationship with Glanbia Nutritionals in the supply of probiotics for the Irish company’s formulations.
Dutch researchers have shown that probiotic bacteria adapt to our intestines, results that will deepen our understanding of how probiotics impact health.
A study from Ukraine has found that supplementation with probiotics for two months had significant benefits for children with atopic dermatitis, adding to the growing body of evidence for the bacteria’s skin health benefits.
Antioxidant-rich fruit juices can support probiotics, say new findings from Danisco that support the potential of juices to offer an interesting alternative to dairy-based products.
Sales of General Mills’ spoonable probiotic yogurt YoPlus fell 16 percent in 2009 to less than $44m for the year, while rival Danone Activia jumped 16 percentage points to record $383m in sales for the year.
Scott Bush, the VP of marketing, health and nutrition in Bioactives at Danisco USA, talks to Stephen Daniells about the challenges the probiotics industry faces in the form of new European Union health claims laws.
Minnesota-based probiotics specialist UAS laboratories is promoting four specialist blends utilizing a range of its proprietary probiotic strains and prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS).
Daily supplements of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v may reduce the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) like abdominal pain and bloating, says new research from Institut Rosell.
Danone Research has reached a partnership agreement worth $8m with Canadian biological science firm Micropharma to develop reduced cholesterol products linked to heart health.
A randomised clinical study on the health effects of drinking the probiotic yoghurt-like drink DanActive suggests that it may protect children from gastrointestinal illness but have little influence on their daily life.
Companies should put more money into studies to substantiate the science of probiotics, perhaps at the cost of marketing, a member of EFSA’s evaluating panel has said.
By Stephen Daniells at the International Probiotics Association’s World Congress in Miami
Carotenoid-producing bacteria with potential probiotic activity may offer food and drink formulators a double nutritional boost for their products, says the academic behind the development.
Daily supplements of a proprietary blend of probiotic bacteria may virtually prevent diarrhoea-associated with C. difficile infection, according to new research from North America.
“Many in industry are pinning their hopes on EFSA showing them the light at the meeting, including the likes of Danone, which withdrew three probiotic immunity/digestive health article 13.5 claims in April, citing clarification it is expecting on Big...
Probiotic bacteria that work in the presence of saliva and various sugars could soon be reducing rates of tooth decay in gums and candies, says a leading researcher.
Danisco has signed a deal that will allow the ingredients supplier to sell two probiotic strains developed by Fonterra to a wider food and drink audience.
Ohio-based probiotics specialist Ganeden Biotech is benefitting from its newly formed alliance with the National Farmers Organization (NFO) after one of its members launched a probiotic milk in the Michigan area.
World sales of probiotic and prebiotic foods and beverages climbed 12.5 per cent to reach about $15.4bn in 2008 compared with the year before, according to research group Packaged Facts.
Prebiotic fibres may beneficially modify bacterial populations in our guts and aid weight management, with “promising effects also shown in humans”, says a new review of the science.
A combination of cranberry powder and probiotic bacteria for the management of urinary tract infections (UTI) has been released by Lallemand Health Ingredients and Institut Rosell-Lallemand with guaranteed extended shelf life.
The president of Danone Baby Nutrition (DBN) says European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claim assessment methodologies are threatening the reputation of the scientific peer-review process and sections of the medical fraternity.
Low-calorie natural management of urinary tract infections (UTI), yeast health, digestive health and immune function are claimed for a new women’s health product launched last week at Expo West.
Morinaga Milk Industry has obtained GRAS with FDA non-objection for a probiotic strain that the Japanese firm has used in its own products for over 30 years.
The link between gut microflora populations and weight may also extend to pregnancy, with a new study revealing that women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy have different microfloral profiles.
Bacterial populations in the gut of diabetics differ from non-diabetics, says a new study from Denmark that may open up a potential role for modify gut microflora with probiotics and prebiotics and improve health.
Florida-based biopharmaceutical company Oragenics has launched what it claims is the first probiotic-based natural oral care chewable designed to fight harmful oral bacteria and help to maintain tooth health for children aged 3-10.
Japanese probiotics pioneer, Yakult Honsha, will commence manufacturing its little probiotic dairy bottles in the US for the first time in 2012, the company has announced, as it seeks to move into eastern seaboard US states.
Beverage manufacturers seeking to extend their health and wellness portfolio can now incorporate a clinical dose of an immune boosting probiotic strain to their refrigerated fruit juice range while keeping their all-natural positioning, claims Danisco.