The time is right to start putting probiotics in food,suggests Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes.The company’s DE111Bacillus subtilis is shelf-stable, viable within a large temperature and pH range, and certified Kosher, making it ideal for a variety of applications, including:
  • Chocolate! As noted in one of the company’s white papers, cocoa is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories and helps to improve blood flow—making dark chocolate useful in the growing sports nutrition category. The white paper adds: “Bacteria that live towards the end of the digestive tract ferments both the antioxidants and the fiber in cocoa, creating anti-inflammatory compounds.” Probiotics that work best at the end of the digestive tract therefore work well with chocolate, and multiply its benefits.
  • Beverages—particularly hot ones, but also just drinks in general. Hot beverages—coffee, tea, hot chocolate—generally don’t lend themselves well to functionality. As a second white paper on Deerland’s site notes, “most health ingredients lose their efficacy through processing, or they can’t stand the heat.” Many probiotics need refrigeration, but spore-forming bacteria don’t: These bacteria form a hard shell, protecting them from less-than-ideal conditions, including the processing and heat needed to create a hot drink—or a cold one: DE111 works just fine in sparkling waters, smoothies, vegetable juices, protein shakes or powdered drink mixes, according to a third white paper. Adding probiotics to your product could give it a boost: After all, according to the white paper, one in five women want bottled water enhanced with nutrients, and 18% of consumers look for juice with functional benefits.
  • Gummies could, technically, be considered a delivery system, if only because people generally only eat one or two functional gummies at a time—but one reason so many people are attracted to gummies is because non-functional gummies are treats adults often deny themselves. It’s a market generally barred to probiotics; Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, two popular bacteria, require refrigeration and can’t handle the gummy-making process. Spore-forming bacteria like DE111, however, can—but there aren’t many on the market, leaving room for innovation and competition. Combining two trends—gummies and probiotics—could be a winning formula.