For a food that’s pushing 4,500 years old, yogurt sure keeps up with the times. “The great thing about yogurt is that it provides significant opportunities for innovation, particularly around fruit combinations, as well as enhancement to support low-fat or low-sugar and functional applications,” says Minerva Calatayud, global product manager, sweet goods, cheese, and dairy, Givaudan Flavors, Cincinnati.
A constellation of trends brings new life to yogurt. Developmental milestones from the past include fruit-on-the-bottom, nonfat and sugar-free, as well as drinkable and kid-friendly squeeze packs. But today’s pace of innovation is in overdrive. “What we see as we add benefits,” says Alan Reed, senior vice president, U.S. manufacturing and ingredient marketing, Dairy Management Inc.™ (DMI), Rosemont, IL, “is that the more compelling the benefit, the more likely it is to increase overall yogurt category growth.”
If any trend promises to shape yogurt’s future, it’s the headlong dive into enhanced wellness benefits.
A functional future
“For many reasons, we’ve recently seen an increase in personal accountability by consumers in the area of health and wellness,” explains Pete Budde, business development manager, probiotics, Cargill Texturizing Solutions, Wayzata, MN. “I believe that we will continue to see the consumption of yogurt increase with market support for products supplemented with value-added ingredients like probiotics.”
Probiotics have found a natural home in yogurt. “Yogurts were not chosen as probiotic delivery vehicles; yogurt and fermented milks are the natural habitat of lactic acid bacteria,” says Mirjana Curic-Bawden, Ph.D., senior scientist, Chr. Hansen, Inc., Milwaukee. “For centuries, fermented milks have been traditionally made and consumed in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. But it was not until the 20th century that we learned about different species and strains, and that some of the strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, are able to confer additional beneficial effects.”
Probiotics’ documented benefits stand out in the area of gastrointestinal health. “Clinical documentation exists for regulation of intestinal transit; improvement of infant diarrhea and rotavirus status; reduced incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea; positive effect on constipation in the elderly and traveler’s diarrhea; improved status of natural defense and immune-system response; and positive effects on atopic eczema in infants,” Curic-Bawden says. “Some strains have possible effects on irritable bowel syndrome or cholesterol level, but these still need further clinical substantiation.”
Benefits are highly strain-specific. “Not every Bifidobacterium lactis or Lactobacillus casei is the same,” says Curic-Bawden. “In spite of the wide range of products on the market—in both supplements and food—only limited numbers of strains have substantial documentation that qualify them as probiotic.” These strains carry a specific alphanumeric designation, such as BB-12, LGG or CRL-431, which identifies them as probiotic. For a consumer to realize any benefits, however, probiotic organisms must survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract, where low-pH conditions, bile salts and digestive enzymes all threaten survival. Furthermore, Curic-Bawden notes, “a strain has to be able to adhere to mucosal tissue and temporarily colonize the GI tract, thus re-establishing a healthy and balanced microflora.”
They also must also remain viable for the duration of yogurt processing and storage. “Processing steps that can improve probiotic cell counts include inoculation of the proper dose; following yogurt-making procedures with regard to incubation temperature, time and pH; avoiding harmful ingredients—the addition of preservatives like potassium sorbate in a milk base before incubation will slow yogurt cultures and potentially harm probiotics—and the use of proper storage conditions along the cold chain,” Curic-Bawden says.
Even these parameters are strain-sensitive. Some show sensitivity to high sugar concentrations, especially fructose. “Sensitivity is strain-dependant,” says Curic-Bawden. “Some yogurt cultures and probiotics can be slowed down with 10% sucrose or 6% to 7% fructose, but 14% high fructose corn syrup can also do the ‘trick.’ This is relevant only if sugar is part of the milk base; yogurt cultures are not affected if sugar is added after the fermentation through the fruit prep.” Others have a very narrow temperature and pH range for optimum growth. “And even though most of the probiotic strains are anaerobic organisms,” she says, “some of them are more tolerant to oxygen, which makes them more suitable for dairy applications.”
