Probiotic bacteria strains adding value
Consumers all over the world are demanding food products with added value. NU-TRISH ® probiotics from Chr. Hansen are natural, safe and effective ingredients with strong scientific documentation which can help food producers to supply just what the consumers want: Tasty food products with credible health benefits.
Probiotics – the friendly bacteria
Probiotics are natural cultures and are considered as the good and friendly bacteria. Probiotics means “for life” in Latin. There is no legal definition of probiotics, however, prominent international bodies such as FAO/WHO and the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) have published definitions of probiotics.
According to FAO/WHO, probiotics are “live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefits on the host.”
Strain-specific health benefits
Probiotics are identified at three levels: genus, species and strain. Studies show that health benefits are strain-specific. This means that for instance that not all Bifidobacteria (genus) nor all Bifidobacteria animalis (species) are probiotic. Specific strains with clear identity and which are supported by clinical documentation are true probiotics.
Chr. Hansen’s science-based position
Clinical documentation is key and a probiotic bacterium is only as good as the science behind it. Adequate clinical documentation including double blind, placebo controlled, human studies are essential to ensure consumer credibility. Chr. Hansen is constantly working to provide a deeper understanding and further evidence for the specific health benefits of our probiotics. We welcome initiatives leading to stricter quality requirements for probiotics from regulatory bodies and industry associations and will continue to invest in consumer credibility and regulatory requirements.
Numbers count
Choosing the right probiotic strain is paramount, and so is ensuring adequate number of probiotic bacteria in your product at the end of shelf-life. The health benefit is related to the dosage and therefore an adequate number of cells must be present in the food product at the time of consumption.
Chr. Hansen’s NU-TRISH® range of probiotics is the natural choice for producers of tasty food products with credible health benefits.
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