YAKULT

In an exclusive Interview, with Dr Neerja Hajela, Head of Science and Regulatory Affairs at Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd., Nedabia Ahilya Batra, Editor of Food Marketing and Technology talks about Yakult’s history and objective, and what makes probiotics unique as compared to fermented foods.

- Dr Neerja Hajela

Most people confuse traditional fermented foods for probiotic. Are they the same or is there a difference? Could you elaborate?

In India traditional fermented foods have often been confused for probiotics. This is not surprising since curd, lassi and such foods which contain lactic acid bacteria and are an inherent part of our culture and an integral part of our diet. However, these products are not standardized for their probiotic content in terms of the strain of bacteria, live number of bacteria, viability of the bacteria at the target site (intestine) and their ability to impart scientifically proven strain specific health benefits. Therefore, while one cannot undermine the nutritional benefit of traditional fermented foods, they cannot be classified as true probiotics.

According to the definition of Probiotics given by Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are scientifically tested bacteria that reach the intestine live in large numbers (more than 1 billion cell forming units) to impart a scientifically proven health benefit of better intestinal health and immunity.

Therefore, traditional fermented foods provide nutrition in the form of calcium, proteins, vitamins and minerals whereas scientifically proven probiotics help to improve intestinal health and ensure better digestion of food and absorption of nutrients. They also help build immunity and reduce risk of diseases.

The two categories cannot be compared but go hand-in-hand for better overall health.

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