New US distributor for Nebraska's probiotics

Nebraska has previously had distribution in place for its Dr Shanhai range of probiotic formulas, but the switch to Wilke represents a desire for greater communication over the range's features and customer needs. James France, general manager of Wilke Resources told Nutraingredients-usa.com: "We as a company are primarily focused on selling the concept of probiotics and ensuring the manufacturers have a thorough understanding of the blending process of the formulas in order to create professional ingredients."​ Nebraska Cultures said that Wilke, which is a smaller sales agent than its former partner, better understands the science rationale behind its probiotic formula and where it fits into the nutrition and food fortification markets. Nebraska Cultures carried out an extensive search in order to find a US company that could further broaden the appeal of the Dr Shahani formulas and would entice manufacturers, researchers and formulators to use it within their product ranges - in turn further consolidating its reach in the food and nutritional supplements industries. The California-based company, which has been supplying and distributing premium probiotics in the US market for over 25 years, has said that the Wilke philosophy regarding probiotics mirrors its own. It believes that such passion will help prevent any customer knowledge and product knowledge being lost in translation. "Wilke is just as passionate about presenting manufacturers, researchers and formulators in the industry with the very best in raw materials, which includes the unique and effective Dr Shahani's line of probiotics,"​ said Nebraska's Robbin Shahani. The global retail market for probiotic dietary supplements was valued by Euromonitor International at just over US$1bn in 2005, and was seen to have experienced 46.9 per cent growth between 2002 and 2005. Growth of 32.6 per cent is predicted through 2010. A recent study published in the Nutrition Journal highlights the continued importance of the friendly bacteria for health, claiming that probiotics may boost the number of bowel movements and relieve constipation. Researchers from the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam reported that previous studies with single strains showed conflicting results, and that a mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains may hold the key. "Given their safety profile, probiotics could be an attractive compound to manipulate gastrointestinal motility in constipated children,"​ wrote lead author Noor Bekkali. "Based on the results of our pilot study we hypothesise that a mixture of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli producing lactic, acetic and other acids resulting in a lowering of pH in the colon are effective in enhancing motility of the colon, subsequently leading to a decrease in colonic transit time,"​ he added.