Probiotics have emerged as one of the biggest trends in the food and beverage industry as research into the microbiome continues to unravel how the gut impacts overall health and wellbeing.
The global market for probiotic ingredients in 2017 was valued at USD 36.6 billion and it’s projected to exceed USD 64 billion by 2023, according to Global Industry Analysis.
Dairy takes the largest share, accounting for 60 percent of the food and beverage product launches containing probiotics, followed by baby food and healthcare products. Desserts, sports nutrition, and fermented foods are also becoming a target for innovation.1
As consumers become more aware of the numerous health benefits of probiotics beyond digestive health, the following points will help shape and drive the probiotic market for years to come.
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Removing the “digestive health” banner
Probiotics’ benefits on digestive health disorders are backed by many positive outcomes in studies. Based on some of this research, government bodies have granted related health claims. As such, digestion remains one of the largest health focus areas for probiotics.1, 2, 3, 4
However, consumers are moving beyond digestive health and are beginning to seek probiotics for a variety of other health concerns including immunity, oral health and weight control making it one of today’s most versatile ingredients.5, 6, 7
This provides marketers opportunities for growth by allowing them to spread their products to new health categories.
Probiotic delivery systems
Consumer needs and preferences are ever changing, but it’s important to understand them for market opportunities. As consumers become more familiar with probiotics, they are exploring various delivery systems.
This has increased the demand for product versatility, from gummies to functional foods. However, probiotics are difficult ingredients to formulate with, as they are generally sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.
Conventional delivery systems for probiotics like microencapsulation and beads have been shown to survive the production process, storage time, and delivery to the gut.8, 9
With commercial food products, cheeses and chocolate have been commonly used as vehicles for probiotic delivery.10
Probiotic market differentiation
Consumers are using probiotics to target specific health concerns and are becoming more interested with the number and strain type of the bacteria.
With that, companies have the opportunity to differentiate themselves by broadening their probiotic portfolio to appeal to a variety of specific health concerns.
Prebiotics, which fuel the growth of probiotics, are also an area of growth and differentiation for companies. For example, chicory root contains the prebiotic fiber inulin, which is commonly added to foods such as ready-to-drink beverages, nutritional snack bars and powders.
Other well-studied prebiotic fibers include galactooligosaccharides (GOS), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and resistant starch.
The takeaway
Probiotics confer a wide-array of health benefits and consumers are becoming more familiar with them, which is a key driver for the increased demand of probiotic-containing products.
Formulators and marketers have plenty of opportunities to meet these growing demands through product innovation, portfolio expansion, and differentiation.
References
- Probiotics: A Global Strategic Business Report. Global Industry Analysis Web site. http://www.strategyr.com/MCP-1084.asp#sthash.qelGfahx.dpbs Published January 2018. Accessed February 27, 2018.
- Waller PA, Gopal PK, Leyer GJ et al. Dose-response effect of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 on whole gut transit time and functional gastrointestinal symptoms in adults. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2011; 46(9): 1057-64.
- Corbitt M, Campagnolo N, Staines D, Marshall-Gradisnik S. A Systematic Review of Probiotic Interventions for Gastrointestinal and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2018.
- Lu M, Yu S, Deng J et al. Efficacy of Probiotic Supplementation Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. PLoS One. 2016; 11(10).
- Ashraf R, Shah NP. Immune system stimulation by probiotic microorganisms. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014; 54(7): 938-56.
- Laleman I, Teughels W. Probiotics in the dental practice: a review. Quintessence Int. 2015; 46(3):255-64.
- Pathuraju R, Sharma RK. Interplay of Gut microbiota, Probiotics in obesity: A review. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2018.
- Cook MT, Tzortzis G, Charalampopoulos D, Khutoryanskiy VV. Microencapsulation of probiotics for gastrointestinal delivery. J Control Release. 2012; 162(1):56-67.
- Krasaekoopt W, Bhandari B, Deeth. The influence of coating materials on some properties of alginate beads and survivability of microencapsulated probiotic bacteria. Int Dairy J. 2004; 14(8): 737-743.
- Govender M, Choonara YE, Kumar P, du Toit LC, van Vuuren S, Pillay V. A review of the advancements in probiotic delivery: Conventional vs non-conventional formulations for intestinal flora supplementation. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2014; 15(1):29-43.
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