Ganeden unveils health bars with durable probiotic

The new bars use the patented healthy bacteria GanedenBC30, which the company claims delivers ten times more live cells than yogurt, and able to withstand harsh manufacturing processes.

"GanedenBC30 has shown to be heartier than other probiotic strains, can survive mixing, baking and intense pressures of the manufacturing process, has long shelf life and is self-affirmed GRAS," said the company.

The company claims the bars are natural, low in fat, contain no trans fats or preservatives and are kosher.

The new finished product bars will be unveiled this weekend at the Natural Products Expo West.

Ganeden hopes to follow up the bars with ten to twelve new launches based on the same strain over the next six months.

GanedenBC30 GanedenBC30 achieved self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status in December.

Whereas the beneficial bacteria in most probiotics do not survive heat, humidity and other harsh conditions, Ganeden claims its ingredient maintains viable cells even when processed using high pressure, high heat and cold conditions.

Mike Bush, vice president, told NutraIngredient-USA.com: "When probiotics are used in a bar, they are usually in a coating or a chocolate that requires refrigeration.

We put it directly into the mix while making the bars so the shelf life is much longer - about 12 months."

The patented probiotic also claims to have a long shelf life, low use level and does not need to be refrigerated.

In addition, it is said to be able to survive gastric acidity.

The key to the ingredient's survival is a natural organic layer.

Ganeden's co-founder, Sean Farmer said: "The core of the cell is protected by a natural organic layer that serves as a protective shield against harsh manufacturing processes and stomach acids.

This unique characteristic is why we initially chose a strain of Bacillus coagulans over other conventional probiotic strains."

Also at the forthcoming exhibition, another company will present Ganedan's probiotic in a muffin form, demonstrating how it can withstand heat and be used in bakery applications.

GanedenBC30 is currently used in dietary supplements, as well as animal health products, feminine hygiene and topical applications.

The concept of friendly bacteria first gained a foothold in Europe and has slowly made its way to the US.

According to Neilson LabelTrends, the total probiotic market was over $700m in 2007.

Investment in Ganeden In January, Ganeden teamed up with PL Thomas (PLT) in an effort to expand the reach of a GanedenBC30 in functional food and beverages.

The probiotic market has grown exponentially in the past few years in the US and is predicted to still have significant room to grow for those companies who can effectively communicate the benefits of the ingredient to consumers.

In November last year, Dutch firm DSM invested $12m in Ganeden, in an effort to cement its presence in the fast-evolving area of nutrition.

Krijn Rietveld, senior VP, new business development at DSM Nutritional Products, said in November: "We think that Geneden Biotech's BC30 strains have unique properties which could enable many new probiotic applications in both food and feed, that we want to follow closely as an area of potential future business for DSM."