A raft of new agreements and some positive study results have
helped BioGaia to report promising results for full year 2005, in
which it edged SEK 8.1m (€0.86m) closer to the point where accounts
turn from red to black.
The first consumer product containing a probiotic strain derived
from human milk by Puleva Biotech has launched in Spain, and the
company hopes it may find a home in other foods for infants and
adults.
A new agreement between BioGaia and Novartis Consumer Health will
enable the development of new products based on its patented
healthy bacteria Reuteri, specially for the medical nutrition
market.
Consumer watchdog Which? has questioned the efficacy of probiotic
products, claiming that there is no reliable research to prove that
they can help general well-being.
The genome sequencing of the NCFM probiotic strain has given
Danisco's research effort a lift. It may help identify new health
benefits, and help reduce the time for bringing new products to
market.
Institut Rosell is gearing up for the launch of its new
Probio'Stick on-the-go probiotic product. Its latest trial
indicates that it may be helpful in dealing with some of the
symptoms of chronic stress.
Merck Médication Familiale, the French subsidiary of Merck Consumer
Healthcare, has introduced its first standalone probiotic
supplement on the French market, following the strong demand for
its multivitamin-probiotic combination.
Swedish probiotic biotech company BioGaia is making headway in its
short-term mission to attain profitability, reporting a 39 percent
increase in sales to SEK 16.4 million for 3Q 2005.
The French dairy group will launch its successful Activia probiotic
yoghurts in the US at the start of next year as American consumers
catch on to the benefits of 'friendly bacteria'.
Probiotic bacteria could not only help fight viruses but they may
also protect against autoimmune diseases like diabetes, says
Swedish probiotics firm Probi.
Children given a probiotic supplement for four months showed a
significant improvement in symptoms of atopic dermatitis, said
Australian researchers this month.
A coating technology, first used to keep cookies crisp, may be the
key to opening up new applications for probiotic bacteria like
cereals or ice-cream.
Too many producers are falsely labelling their products as
probiotic and could present a stumbling block to the sector's
expansion, says the marketing head of leading innovator Valio at
Drinktec 2005.
Probiotic bacteria drops appear to reduce the symptoms of colic in
breast-feeding infants and could offer a natural, more effective
alternative to conventional treatment, say researchers.
Danish company Chr Hansen has shored up its lead in the dairy
cultures business after doubling capacity at its plant in France,
now said to be the world's largest.
A strain of probiotic bacteria developed by Swedish firm Probi
doubled the absorption of iron from food in women participating in
a recent study, it revealed yesterday.
NeutraHealth, a UK shell company created to buy up nutraceutical
businesses, said today that it has made its first acquisition, the
probiotic supplement maker BioCare.
French probiotics firm Institut Rosell-Lallemand said it has been
included in a new government initiative to pool research into
cancer prevention and treatment.
UK vitamin distributor Quest is launching what it believes is the
first probiotic that has been scientifically shown to target IBS
symptoms, a condition that affects a third of the UK population at
one time during their lifetime,...
A probiotic formulation developed by French/Canadian company
Institut Rosell reduced symptoms associated with IBS in tests on a
rat model, writes Dominique Patton.
The performance of Danisco's cultures last year stands out against
the drop in flavour sales and weak growth in other ingredients made
by the group, thanks to the strong synergies offered by its Rhodia
acquisition, writes Dominique...
The UK's food authority said this week that it will provide up to
£20,000 (€30,000) to pay for external scientists to produce more
dossiers for supplement ingredients not currently on the European
directive's positive list,...
Japanese probiotics leader Yakult and the Kirin brewing and
beverage group have agreed to jointly develop new functional foods
for the domestic market and share manufacturing and distribution
resources to increase efficiency, writes...
A probiotic strain developed by DSM is more stable at room
temperature than competing products, says the company, although it
has declined to disclose numbers to support the claims.
The prebiotic activity of different fibres will be measured and
compared in a new study designed to help food makers decide which
ingredient to select for their gut health products, reports
Dominique Patton.
Fresh from its acquisition of Solgar, the US' biggest supplement
maker NBTY said today that it has also bought the Canadian
supplement maker and distributor SISU, writes Dominique
Patton.
Welsh researchers will study whether probiotic supplements given to
babies can stop them from developing hay fever or asthma,
reports Dominique Patton.
A leading probiotic brand in the UK has been told it does not have
enough evidence to advertise the product's benefits for upset
stomachs experienced during menstruation.
A health claim for the prebiotic effect of inulin will be published
by the French food safety authority tomorrow, giving food
manufacturers in this market the go-ahead to promote the health
benefits of inulin-containing foods, reports...
Sweden's BioGaia says its recent clinical trials are supporting
stronger health claims on products containing its Reuteri bacteria,
which may help it distinguish its probiotics from the competition,
writes Dominique Patton.
The message about the gut health benefit probiotics can deliver is
finally getting through to US consumers, according to a new report
on the state of the functional foods sub-category.
High consumption of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) increases the risk
of salmonella infection in rats, according to new research,
although it is impossible to tell whether the prebiotic ingredient
could have the same impact on humans,...
Adding the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus GG (LGG) to the daily
diet of children with a food allergy helped to reduce eczema
symptoms, report researchers this month.
A drink containing a probiotic strain isolated from infants
relieved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome to the same extent as
pharmaceutical treatments for the condition, report Irish
researchers.
Japan's Kirin Brewery says it has new animal and human clinical
data showing that one of its lactic acid bacteria strains is
effective at preventing atopic dermatitis.
Complex sugars found naturally in a New Zealand variety of honey
appear to have prebiotic effects, offering food makers a natural
gut health ingredient.
Not all strains of bacteria used in probiotic products on the UK
market survive through the entire digestive system, conclude study
results published this week by the Food Standards Agency, although
at least one strain in each of...
BioGaia has signed an agreement with the Indian company Uni-Sankyo,
giving it the right to produce and sell supplements containing the
Reuteri protbiotic bacteria.
A complex carbohydrate, traditionally used as a bulking agent in a
range of foods, is being offered in several European markets as a
new source of fibre.
Bacterial vaginosis is considered the most common cause of vaginal infection among pregnant and non-pregnant women. In this scenario, the oral intake of...
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