Danisco Application Teams Move HOWARU Documented Probiotic Cultures into New Market Segments

25/10/07 Thanks to the recent work of Danisco’s application development teams, juice, cheese, chocolate and other food products are now joining traditional fresh dairy applications as an efficient vehicle for health-promoting probiotics.

Numerous studies today confirm the beneficial properties of the Danisco probiotic cultures range, HOWARU Premium Probiotics. Gastrointestinal health, wellbeing and immune system modulation are the most well-established areas where probiotics have a beneficial effect. More recent evidence has demonstrated the ability of HOWARU to reduce cold and flu symptoms with HOWARU Protect or restore a well-balanced gut microflora after antibiotic treatment with HOWARU Restore.

Using a culture from the HOWARU range, manufacturers can create trendy new fruit juice beverages with probiotic advantages for consumers who are lactose-intolerant or do not like the taste of milk. Probiotic cultures are a great way to give fruit juice additional health benefits, while maintaining an all-natural image. At FIE 2007, Danisco will present a banana, mango and peach smoothie including HOWARU Bifido.

Cheese is also entering the functional food category due to its ability to maintain a high probiotic cell count right through shelf life. In various studies, Danisco probiotic cultures have shown an excellent survival rate. A probiotic semi-hard cheese daily dose will be showcased at FIE: targeted at children, this healthy cheese snack contains HOWARU Protect, a new patented formulation of probiotic cultures reducing cold and flu-associated symptoms.

The emergence of a new healthy side to cocoa-rich chocolate, with its high content of natural antioxidants, has set the scene for adding further nutritional benefits via probiotics. Here again HOWARU cultures has proven ideal for the purpose, contributing robust probiotics to chocolate applications.

“Danisco continues to apply its broad expertise in probiotic cultures and food manufacturing processes to the development of new application possibilities”, states Fabienne Saadane-Oaks, president of Danisco Cultures Division “With health and nutrition today a key focus area, Danisco is committed to helping food manufacturers meet the growing demand for convenient food products that enhance general consumer wellbeing.”