Researchers from Tufts University, Boston, US have concluded from a
review of recent literature that further studies need to be carried
out to substantiate the link between the ingestion of probiotics
and gastrointestinal health.
Confirming market opportunities for suppliers and users of fibre
ingredients, a review from the UK suggests that cancer of the gut -
one of the major causes of death from cancer - might be prevented
through a change in diet, writes...
European legislation on health claims could take a significant leap
forward under the new Dutch presidency of the European Union, which
appears to be aiming for the regulation to get its first reading in
the European parliament by...
Lifeway Foods, a manufacturer of cultured, probiotic and functional
foods, has agreed to acquire a privately-held gourmet cheese
producer based in Philadelphia.
Milk powder fortified with vitamins and minerals, as well as milks
with prebiotic and probiotic bacteria, can prevent major, often
fatal, childhood diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, and have
a significant impact on growth,...
Puleva Biotech, the biotech arm of Spanish food group Ebro Puleva,
has been awarded funding worth €428,290 from a regional development
fund to help it start up a new probiotics line.
Dutch ingredients firm Sensus has carried out new research to prove
the prebiotic effect of native inulin at only 5 grams, allowing
food manufacturers to make prebiotic claims on a relatively low
dose.
Growing demand for natural colours and the increasing popularity of
probiotic cultures lifted third quarter sales at Danish ingredients
firm Chr Hansen.
New gene technology could provide further evidence to support
probiotic bacteria, often criticised by the medical profession for
having insufficient science behind the claims made about their
health benefits.
The first dairy food range in Europe containing Danisco's Howaru
probiotics has been introduced in Slovenia by one of the region's
top dairy product manufacturers Ljubljanske Mlekarne.
The new cultures unit at Danisco looks set to become a powerful
force in the probiotics sector, gaining additional strains and
entrance to new markets with the acquisition of Rhodia Food,
according to new division chief Fabienne Saadane-Oaks.
A new probiotics alliance, between leading Danish firm Chr Hansen
and a Canadian biotech company, is launching its first product for
the growing women's health market.
Britannia Health Products, the company set up to market the evening
primrose oil brand Efamol, is introducing a range of breakfast
cereals containing Hi-maize prebiotic resistant starch.
Mothers taking probiotic supplements appear to have higher levels
of an anti-inflammatory molecule in their breast milk, which could
offer their babies better protection against allergy and other
diseases, according to new findings.
Dutch chemicals firm DSM has opened a €12 million food research and
product development centre, which is expected to speed up the time
it takes for a new product to reach the market and boost creativity
in food ingredient design.
Probiotic bacteria appear to tackle the HIV virus and may even stop
it from being transferred from a mother to her children, said
researchers at the American Society for Microbiology general
meeting this week.
Netherlands-based Pharming has increased its stake in Australian
company ProBio and is now hoping to accelerate the
commercialisation of recombinant human lactoferrin in Asia,
writes Phil Taylor.
Treating cirrhotic patients with synbiotics or fermentable fiber
can alter the flora in the gut, lowering its pH levels as well as
the ammonia levels in the blood and significantly reducing brain
dysfunction, a common symptom of the...
Spanish food ingredients developer Puleva Biotech is preparing to
enter the probiotics market with strains isolated from human milk,
writes Dominique Patton.
Probiotics in capsule form have been around for a few years, as
dietary supplement manufacturers seek to take advantage of the
growing awareness of their beneficial effect on gut health. But
some consumers do not like taking capsules,...
Danish ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients has moved into
another new market with its low-calorie bulk sweetener, tagatose,
as the food watchdog for Australia and New Zealand gives the green
light for its use in foods that span...
Ongoing growth in cultures sales to the dairy industry and health
markets helped the Danish ingredients firm Chr Hansen post a modest
rise in revenue for the food ingredients division in the first six
months. Organic growth for the...
Leading cultures firm Chr Hansen has entered a strategic alliance
with a Canadian research company to offer probiotic bacteria
specifically targeted to the substantial women's health market.
Valio is to launch its probiotic cheese in Belgium, the first
country outside its home market, where cheese is a fast-growing new
application area for the health-promoting bacteria, writes
Dominique Patton.
Synbiotics, a combination of prebiotic and probiotic bacteria,
appear to reduce the risk of colon cancer, the most common form of
cancer in the European Union, revealed researchers last month.
Nutritional ingredients producer DSM is to launch an improved
version of its Lafti probiotics in the USA, which are said to offer
superior survival through the GI tract, writes Wai Lang Chu.
Japanese probiotics pioneer Yakult and French yoghurts and biscuits
maker Danone said today they will set up a new alliance to push
growth of their functional foods businesses and cement their
leading positions in the probiotics market.
A major, randomised trial to assess the effectiveness of probiotic
bacteria in reducing infections in intensive care patients, the
first such study to be carried out in the US, may help to expand
applications for the supplement to...
Swedish probiotics developer BioGaia, made significant progress
towards profitability in the past year thanks to a take-off in
higher margin sales in Japan.
A number of probiotic products available in South Africa do not
live up to the claims on their labels, report researchers in the
February issue of the South African Medical Journal (94:
121-124).
Sourdough bread containing select bacteria may be tolerated by
patients with a rare digestive disease that causes gluten
intolerance, say Italian and Irish researchers. The new research
could provide new opportunities for food producers...
Belgium's Orafti group is investing €165 million in a second
chicory-extraction plant in Chile to respond to fast-growing demand
for inulin and oligofructose.
Ingredients giant Danisco moves into the lead in the global
cultures business with its acquisition of the food ingredients arm
of ailing French chemical firm Rhodia.
Infant formula with added probiotic bacteria appeared to reduce
irritability in infants and lowered the frequency of antibiotic
use, report US researchers.
Probiotics, the bacteria thought to help gut health disorders,
allergies and even some forms of cancer, contain immune
system-stimulating DNA, which makes them just as effective when
inactivated as when consumed as live microorganisms...
Strong growth in cultures and human health products partly driven
by developments in the dairy industry, as well as rises for colours
and flavours, helped first quarter ingredients sales at Danish firm
Chr Hansen.
Combining prebiotic and probiotic ingredients, commonly known as a
synbiotic, has different effects from those of the individual
supplements and does not simply result in additive or synergistic
effects, report German researchers...
Dutch ingredients producer Sensus has significantly expanded its
presence in the South American market through new agreements with
distributors in Argentina and Chile.
Uncertainty about recent EU proposals for health claims legislation
presents a major challenge to players in the probiotics market,
suggests a new market analysis.
New Jersey-based Bradley Pharmaceuticals is to market a new
probiotic product, supplied by Danish probiotics leader Chr.
Hansen, to the North American physicians market.
In response to an increasing worldwide demand for pectin, Danish
ingredients company Danisco is to expand its Czech production
capacity by 40 per cent to accommodate an expected growth rate of
5-6 per cent on the world market.
The rye grain, and rye bran in particular, is rich in dietary fibre
and also contains a significant fructan concentration, which may
have important prebiotic properties, suggests a new publication.
Experts meeting at a symposium on probiotics this autumn said that
further scientific support is needed to explore the strong
potential for health benefits of these bacteria.
Danish ingredients company Chr. Hansen has teamed up with dairy
manufacturers to develop a new yoghurt culture - Yo-Flex - designed
to be used in products with less fat and fewer additives.
Products that promote benefits for gut health are driving sales of
functional foods in Europe, shows a new report, outpacing those
foods targeting consumers at risk of heart or bone diseases.
Regular consumption of the sugar replacer Isomalt appears to have a
prebiotic effect on gut bacteria, according to preliminary findings
of a study being carried out in Germany.
There are many possibilities in terms of communication within the European Union and several regulations to check. Food Chain ID's expert will review...
