What do Intercontinental Eros, Le Meridien and Radisson have in common? They all serve probiotic bacteria for breakfast. Visit any of these hotels or many others across New Delhi and NCR, Mumbai or Pune for breakfast and you would be pleasantly surprised to find Yakult or a probiotic dahi (yoghurt) on the menu. Last year in London, I noticed a similar trend – lots of probiotic yoghurt on the buffet menu.
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that reach our intestines alive and suppress the growth of harmful bacteria. In today’s changing environment, we need to constantly replenish the good bacteria that are often killed due to antibiotics, illness, diet, frequent travel and stress-related influences. The link between diet and health has never been stronger. As a result, the market is flourishing. Today, there are many probiotic products in the global market and most have supporting evidence behind the advertised health claims. Manufacturers are responding by incorporating probiotics into more foods that people eat daily. While fermented dairy products represent the traditional probiotic range, ice cream, gelato, chocolates, juices, ketchup, sausages and cheese are some of the recent additions.
As consumers are now more aware about digestive health and are seeking out more ways of safeguarding the same with functional foods, the future of these products looks promising. Travellers into India are pleasantly surprised to see Yakult at buffet counters and, since probiotics help to prevent stomach disorders and travellers diarrhoea, hotels are a very important channel for us. About 20% of our sales in India comes from the hotel industry.
It was Elie Metchnikoff, a Russian scientist, who observed in 1908 that Bulgarian peasants lived longer and healthier lives due to the high intake of fermented milk containing lactic acid in their diet. In 1935, the first probiotic drink – Yakult – was commercially launched in Japan by Dr Minoru Shirota. He was successful in delivering the benefits of this probiotic strain that he discovered in the form of a fermented drink, to Japanese society, which he later introduced in the overseas market starting with Taiwan in 1963. Today, Yakult is sold in more than 32-countries across Asia, Europe and US, with Japan being the largest market for probiotic foods and beverages with a stringent regulatory food labelling system.
Yakult, which contains 6.5 billion beneficial bacteria ( Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota) is consumed by a staggering 28-million people every day across the globe. So what makes products like these sell? Is it years of scientific credibility that backs these products or is it the consumer’s new found obsession with health because there is no time for indulgence? Perhaps, it is a bit of both.
The real success of probiotic yogurt products has been the way in which consumers globally have adopted them for a ‘daily dosing’ routine. Known to boost immunity and improve digestion, daily consumption of these products allows people to feel that they are combining a healthy boost with a delicious treat. Consumers are increasingly buying into the idea of replenishing their supplies of ‘healthy bacteria’. The global market for probiotic foods and drinks was US$14 billion in 2008 and is expected to cross US$17 billion by 2013. In India too, branded probiotic yoghurts and drinks are growing at 14%, and the market for such products is about Rs100 crores.
But – a word of caution here. One needs to read the label and look for the name of the strain of bacteria that has been added. Many labels do not mention the strain – and these are the ones which usually fail the bacteria health test. Half of the 50-odd products available in the UK have the wrong bacteria that are of no benefit. While consumption in India is still in a nascent stage, unless we have guidelines in place for probiotic foods, consumers will continue to make the wrong choices and buy products that are completely sterile, have got the wrong bacteria in them, or the wrong amount.
Although it will be a while before probiotics can become a part of the Indian daily diet, nonetheless, we are convinced that the results of scientific research will help establish the efficacy of these probiotic food products which have shown benefits since the time of Metchnikoff. Till then, let’s just drink to a healthy gut.
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