The stomach for growth

29-May-2007 - Last updated on 16-Mar-2017 at 00:08 GMT

Related tags Probiotic

The potential for products promoting healthy digestion is increasing as research hots up. Rod Addy examines the frenzy of activity in the area

The past year has seen a significant increase in prebiotic, probiotic and synbiotic products. According to prebiotic ingredients supplier Orafti, in 2005 there were 74 European launches of prebiotics, the fuel for probiotics, rising to 115 in 2006. Launches of synbiotic products, combining probiotic and prebiotic ingredients, rose from just one to 17. But the major focus of activity remains probiotics, the friendly bacteria that maintain our health, where launches rose from 197 to 244.

Functional foods are becoming bigger business by the day. They were worth just over £1bn to UK consumers at the end of 2006, according to ingredients supplier Naturis, and are set to grow in value to £1.2bn by the end of 2010. So it's no surprise that activity in the arena of gut health, one of the most important functional food markets, is hotting up.

With complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome and cancer of the intestine continuing to be a concern, companies taking an interest are no small fry. Tate & Lyle, for example, has launched its Enrich service, enabling firms to create products packed with additional nutrients. Digestive health and immunity is a major area of exploration for the programme.

We can expect further innovation from the company's £3M Wellness & Nutrition Centre in Lille, France, due to open in September as part of its Global Food Ingredients Group.

Research body Leatherhead Food International has also launched a collaborative project researching the industrial market for prebiotics and probiotics and selection and purchasing criteria, which could stimulate further developments.

Friendly bacteria gets functional

As for the focus of those developments, aside from research into new strains of friendly bacteria, the most popular products incorporating probiotics to promote gut health are still mainly dairy-based. Danone's Actimel and Activia brands, plus the fermented milk drink Yakult are key examples.

"Most foods containing probiotic bacteria are found in the refrigerated sections of the supermarket as the bacteria are destroyed by heat and other processing conditions," says Steve Rice, md of research group RTS Resource. "This has given the dairy sector a major advantage in probiotic foods. Probiotic drinking yogurts are currently the largest users of probiotics as well as the fastest growing dairy product in Europe."

Within the EU in 2006, 32 probiotic yoghurt drinks, five probiotic cheeses and 17 probiotic yoghurts were launched, according to Naturis. "Over half of these products were aimed at kids," says Phill Berry, Naturis new product development manager. "That trend may well continue. We're all concerned about our children." In March, for example, Nestlé announced the US launch of Good Start Natural Cultures infant formula, containing probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis to improve the balance of friendly bacteria in the gut.

Bifidobacterium, "linked to reducing gastro intestinal symptoms due to stress", according to Berry, and lactobacillus remain the favoured families of probiotic bacteria that manufacturers work with to promote gut health. Companies are working with various strains within these families to achieve slightly different ends. In addition, Naturis works with pediococcus, which Berry says has been shown to promote a balance of friendly bacteria, reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and boost the immune system.

Prebiotics, too, can be incorporated into dairy products, but being sustenance for bacteria rather than bacteria themselves, they can be used more widely. Common prebiotic materials have included oligosaccharides such as inulin, fructooligosaccharides and lactulose. However, RTS Resource says many prebiotic materials are being built into products for the first time, including isomalto-oligosaccharide, soya-bean oligosaccharide and lactosucrose. Others, such as tagatose, pectin, dextrins and larch arabinogalactan are currently being assessed.

Judging by the rise in the number of prebiotic products in the past year, there's increasing potential in that market, with Orafti claiming double digit growth in prebiotic sales. Berry says: "There's more recognition of the benefits of soluble fibres. Opportunities are available in bread and cereals, where bread manufacturers would struggle to get probiotics into products, and health-related snacks." Weetabix is capitalising on this trend with the launch of Oatibix Bite Size Chocolate & Raisin in February, comprising mini oat biscuits with an added prebiotic.

Just as in the field of probiotics, another area of interest for prebiotic use is baby food. "Infant formula manufacturers looking to replicate the qualities of breast milk are turning to prebiotics to boost gut health," says Rice. "Children under the age of five are one of the groups most susceptible to gastrointestinal infections. Although the current market is small, rapid growth is expected."

Encapsulation and synbiotics

Further potential exists for cocktails of probiotics and prebiotics in food and drink, either to enhance health benefits - the science of synbiotics - or, in the case of encapsulation, to help probiotics survive in the gut.

In April, scientists from the Technical Research Centre of Finland announced progress in using seven prebiotics including sorbitol and mannitol combined with coating material Sureteric to encapsulate lactobacillus rhamnosus strains. The aim was to enable their survival during freeze-drying, storage in freeze-dried form and incorporation into apple juice and chocolate-coated breakfast cereals.

"We're investing in research studying the nutritional benefits of probiotics combined with selected prebiotics," says Dr Anne Franck, executive vice president of science and technology at Orafti. "Two new papers produced in collaboration with US and Australian universities show that by combining probiotics and prebiotics you can definitely enhance the shelf-life of products."

Obstacles to progress

Despite the massive growth opportunities in the gut health market, there are hurdles. Aside from ensuring the survival of probiotic strains, processors must aid consumer understanding and deal with legislation.

Changes to EU health and nutrition labelling rules enable manufacturers to make particular health claims on product packaging, provided they can support them with evidence. There's all to play for, with the potential of dramatically boosting product marketing as the European Food Safety Authority draws up a list of viable claims. But while it's doing so, a lot of time and cash is being pumped into researching supporting evidence.

"For major companies, their energy will be spent on exploring the benefits of the products they already have and the more evidence you've got, the bigger the job," says Yakult science manager Linda Thomas. "Just presenting it in the right format could be a headache."

In addition, Food Standards Agency guidance notes for preparing the evidence have yet to be published, creating uncertainty. Not only that, but as claims proliferate, not to mention types of probiotics and prebiotics and their effects, manufacturers must clearly communicate the benefits of their products. There's little point in creating a fantastic new yoghurt if no one understands what it does. "It is possible to speak about gut health," says Franck. "It is still not so easy for the consumer to understand."

Rice concludes: "What began as a relatively simple message with the addition of bacteria or soluble fibre to existing products is now becoming a battleground for more complex mixes. While some of these health packages are interesting the danger is they will confuse the consumer who will turn away from the sector." Yet, so long as the barriers can be overcome, the figures speak for themselves. The gut health market is still young and as research continues to gather pace, the opportunities could well be almost endless. FM