The Pros of Probiotics
CDRF a leader in recognizing the potential benefits of probiotics
By Mary Ellen Sanders

The belief that consuming live, active cultures in fermented dairy foods have a positive health benefit has been around for more than 100 years. These foods are integral to many traditional diets worldwide. What’s new in 2007? Diligent scientific investigation has combined with innovative product development and marketing to bring new life to this old concept. A range of new products with an assortment of probiotic cultures that have been studied and shown to have beneficial effects on human health are on the market. The California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF) has been a leader for more than a decade in recognizing the potential benefits of probiotics, both to the consumer and consequently, to the dairy industry.

Probiotics have arrived in (dairy) foods!
To say that 2007 is the year of probiotics is an understatement. In the dairy category, new products abound, including Dannon’s Activia“ yogurt featuring Bifidobacterium animalis DN173010, DanActive“ fermented milk with Lactobacillus casei DN114001, and Danimals“ yogurt drink with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. All three of these products contain the yogurt starter cultures Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. All yogurts produced by Stonyfield Farms contain yogurt cultures plus four strains of added probiotic bacteria, including Lactobacillus reuteri, the subject of several recent studies documenting its contribution to protecting healthy adults and kids from illness. Nestlé has launched an extension to its Good Start“ infant formula line with Good Start“ Natural Cultures, containing Bifidobacterium lactis BB12 with data showing immune benefits. Some additional products with live cultures added for their beneficial health effects are frozen yogurt (TCBY), cheese (Kraft LiveActive Cheddar Cheese) and kefir (Lifeway).

However, dairy no longer “owns” the probiotic concept for foods. In the past year, a number of other foods containing live cultures have hit the market, including granola and candy bars (Attune), cereal (Kashi), and cookies (Mrs. Freshley’s).

Dairy+probiotics=a good match
Dairy products offer a great residence for probiotics. Fermented dairy products have always been a source of live and active cultures. Some of these same fermentation microbes are the ones that have been studied as candidate probiotics for their health benefits. (Other bacteria used as probiotics, namely strains of the group Bifidobacterium, are not traditionally associated with fermented dairy products.) The lactobacilli typically can survive well in these dairy products which are kept refrigerated and generally have short shelf lives, although the acidic nature of some of these products can challenge survival. In addition, fermented dairy products are one of the few food categories that consumers associate with live active cultures. In the mind of consumers, often “bacteria are bad” but “cultures are good.” 

Although dairy products traditionally deliver probiotics, other food groups are competing with dairy products for this honor. To stay competitive, the dairy industry must:
• Use the term “probiotic” only when the product meets the minimum criteria for probiotic, i.e., that the microbe is alive at adequate levels in the product and has been shown to confer a health benefit to humans.
• Create products that deliver an efficacious level of probiotic through the end of shelf life. 
• Provide validated products that meet consumer needs for taste, convenience and price.
• Continue to fund research to better understand the role of dairy products in delivering health benefits mediated by probiotics.

CDRF early involvement
The CDRF has led the way in promoting a science-based understanding of probiotics and dairy products through research and communication efforts. CDRF understood that with better data on the benefits of probiotics bacteria that dairy products were the ideal carrier for providing these benefits to the consumer.

Some highlights of CDRF-sponsored activities include:
• In 1992, the CDRF commissioned the preparation of a white paper to review the scientific status of research supporting health benefits that could be attributed to probiotics. This paper was published the following year (Sanders 1993a).
• Building on the conclusions of this review, the CDRF convened a consensus panel with experts from the United States, Europe and Japan to determine what types of health claims could be substantiated by current science. The results of this panel were published in 1993 (Sanders 1993b).
• In 1996, the CDRF supported research at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo that contributed to the understanding of strain-specific attributes of different strains of probiotics used in commercial products (Yeung et al., 2002 & 2004).
• In 1997, CDRF funded research at UC Davis by Dr. Linda Harris who studied ways to enhance the survival of Bifidobacteria in dairy foods.
• In 1998, CDRF supported Dr. Sanders on research studying the evaluation of factors influencing cell count of probiotic bacteria.
• In 2001, the CDRF, in collabo-ration with probiotics expert Mary Ellen Sanders, launched the first science-based Web site devoted to understanding probiotics. This site, www.usprobiotics.org, has grown from 9,963 page views in its first year to 320,533 page views in 2006 alone and is referenced in media articles and consistently receives accolades from users on its delivery of unbiased information for consumers, industry and health professionals.
• Since 2002, the CDRF has supported outside experts in the field to provide resources for media interviews. Close to 100 interviews on the topic of probiotics have been conducted with popular press or trade publications.
• In 2002, the CDRF recognized the need for a professional scientific society to promote communication and the advancement of science of probiotics and prebiotics and provided funds to establish the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP).  See box below.
• Currently, CDRF is working with Dairy Management Inc. to establish a national probiotics  and bioactives program using research from dairy research centers thoughout the United States. Results from these projects will be reported in future issues of the Dairy Dispatch.

References
Sanders, M.E. 1993a. Effect of consumption of lactic cultures on human health. Adv. Food Nutr. Res. 37:67-130.
Sanders, M.E. 1993b. Summary of conclusions from a consensus panel of experts on health attributes of lactic cultures: significance to fluid milk products containing cultures.
J. Dairy Sci. 76:1819-1828.
Yeung, P.S.M., M.E. Sanders, C.L. Kitts,
R. Cano, P.S. Tong. 2004. Application of genomic and phenotypic analyses to commercial probiotic strain identity and relatedness. J. Appl. Microbiol. 97:1095-1104.
Yeung, P.S.M., M.E. Sanders, C.L. Kitts,
R. Cano and P.S. Tong. 2002. Species-specific identification of commercial probiotic strains. J. Dairy Sci. 85:1039-1051.