Digestive Health

The ingredient is said to maintain “long-lasting softness and improved resilience” for breads with high wholegrain content.

Bayer HealthCare LLC is facing a class-action lawsuit filed in April in California alleging that the company’s Phillips Probiotics Colon Health dietary supplement makes unsupported claims for digestive and immune health.

Winners and losers in the newest batch of EFSA health claims.

All products are now marketed as a “good source of fiber” and contain 3 g per serving.

In response to rising consumer demand for high-fiber products, Danisco (Copenhagen) has announced that the company is making a major investment to increase production of its functional fiber, Litesse polydextrose.

The new enLiven yogurt is said to be low in price, sodium, and fat.

Vinamilk has introduced Deliac Pedia, a dairy-based infant formula with probiotics for digestive health.

The product relieves indigestion, gas, and bloating in those sensitive to grain and dairy proteins.

Leading probiotic companies have expressed enthusiasm for “Microwarriors: The Power of Probiotics,” a new documentary about the history and science of probiotics.

FenuLife may be a safe alternative to pharmaceutical acid-reflux and heartburn medications.

A new fiber-containing dextrin from Roquette has withstood tolerance testing in a recent study on digestive health measures.

Editor’s Note: On December 2, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) held a meeting in Amsterdam with the intention of clarifying its process of reviewing Article 13 and Article 14 health claims, specifically those concerning gut and immune health. The probiotics community was well represented at the meeting, which was led by members of EFSA’s Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) panel. Below are reflections from the meeting from representatives of probiotics specialist Danisco A/S (Denmark).

Research and Markets, an international market research group, has made available its newest in-depth analysis of the U.S. digestive health ingredients market.

GoodBelly, the brand of organic probiotic fruit drinks, has welcomed Alan Murray as CEO.

ProTarget, a patented enteric capsule-coating technology from Bifodan A/S (Hundested, Denmark), has received Frost & Sullivan’s 2010 Global Probiotics Technology Differentiation Award.

NP Nutra (Rancho Dominguez, CA) has introduced PapayaFlow, a product offering the healthful nutrients of papaya such as lycopene, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and B vitamins.

Scientists in the digestive- and immune-health sector have initiated a new petition, protesting what they say is an “illogical” process of approving health claims in the European Union.

The 2011 grants will be awarded for research on probiotics and gastrointestinal microbiota.

Probiotic industry specialists are hoping that the FTC’s recent dispute with Dannon (White Plains, NY) over probiotic label claims will not devalue the sound science that exists within the field of probiotic science.

Harvard researchers think placebo effect may be strongest with full disclosure.

Deerland Enzymes (Kennesaw, GA) is partnering with Thione International (Atlanta) to develop product applications combining Thione’s antioxidants technology with Deerland’s enzyme blends.

The FTC announced yesterday that it has entered into a consent agreement with Dannon in which the brand will drop what the FTC says are deceptive advertising claims for its probiotic Activia yogurt and DanActive dairy drink.

But to what end?

The U.S. digestive-health category is currently valued at $265.9 million and will grow to $495.3 million by 2015-a 13.2% growth, predicts a new MarketsandMarkets report.

Colloïdes Naturels International has launched a new, highly purified and clarified version of its Fibregum ingredient.