Probiotics in a Kids’ Straw "Seamless" for TetraPak

The versatile and shelf-stable Ganeden BC30 probiotic has already featured in formats unconventional for most probiotic strains, including soups, tortillas, and chocolate. Now, the strain is debuting in a straw for shelf-stable boxed beverages.

Exclusively partnering with Swedish packaging manufacturer CapAble AB, supplier Ganeden Biotech (Cleveland) can now provide its Ganeden BC30 strain (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) in a “telescoping straw”-the type of straw seen on unit-dose milk and juice boxes.

Each LifeTop probiotic straw contains one billion CFU of Ganeden BC30. The straw can be “seamlessly” applied to TetraPak and other refrigerated and shelf-stable box-form containers.

According to Ganeden’s senior vice president Michael Bush, this format demonstrates the evolving landscape of probiotic delivery systems and was especially chosen to appeal to children.

“As consumer demand for probiotics grows, so do the delivery forms available,” he says. “A child can get their daily dose of probiotics from a juice pouch in her lunchbox. This is groundbreaking. Kids won’t balk at the flavorless probiotic, and the straws look just like all the others.”

The company adds that by 2018, the probiotic market is expected to reach $36.7 billion globally, with about $30 billion coming from functional foods and beverages.

Ganeden’s telescoping straw is similar to this straw pictured. Photo © iStockphoto.com/pialhovik.