Prebiotics - Articles - Page 2

Dairy delivers for seniors’ health needs

Protein plus added ingredients for mobility, blood-glucose control and immune support help seniors navigate the challenges of aging.

Sharon Gerdes

May 16, 2022

Protein plus added ingredients for mobility, blood-glucose control, and immune support help seniors navigate the challenges of aging.

New postbiotics support a healthy microbiome

Higher diversity is the hallmark of a healthy gut microbiome.

Sharon Gerdes

April 18, 2022

Higher diversity is the hallmark of a healthy gut microbiome.

Probiotics, prebiotics are natural partners for dairy

These ingredients can attract today’s health-concerned shoppers.

Anna Boisseau

December 6, 2021

When it comes to probiotics and prebiotics, you could say today’s consumers are very pro. In fact, according to a 2020 report from Hyderabad, India-based Mordor Intelligence titled “Probiotics Market — Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact and Forecasts (2021-2026),” the global probiotic market is expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.08% during the forecast period of 2020-2025.

Promote healthy aging with dairy

Fortifying dairy products with certain ingredients can attract consumers looking to maintain a high quality of life as they get older.

Anna Boisseau

August 3, 2021

Paul McCartney famously bemoaned getting older when he asked, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four?” Now almost 80 years old, McCartney still spent his last decade on tour (this author saw him perform in 2014) and often credits a healthy diet for his longevity.

Fiber ingredients could add value to dairy products

They enable sugar reduction while promoting digestive and immune health

Sharon Gerdes

August 21, 2020

Even though a cow's diet includes a lot of high-fiber feedstuffs, fluid milk contains no fiber. Yet fiber is an excellent ingredient to boost the nutrition of a wide range of dairy products and dairy alternatives. Let's explore the benefits of adding fiber to foods in the frozen and refrigerated dairy cases.

Functional ingredients benefit dairy products

Kimberly Decker

May 7, 2015

Tired after working out? Drink a little protein. Overweight? Fiber might help. Digestive issues? Try probiotics. By adding functional ingredients, formulators of dairy foods and beverages can make health-related claims.

The dairy industry’s role in prebiotics education

Consumer awareness and purchases of probiotic-containing products have skyrocketed. Has this paved the way for promoting and marketing prebiotics in dairy foods?

Karen Giles-Smith MS, RD

August 7, 2014

A common sentiment among food industry experts is that consumers aren’t yet ready to hear about prebiotics. I respectfully disagree. As a nutrition therapist, I’ve noticed an increased interest in probiotics among my clients, which is the perfect opportunity to explain that certain fibers, called prebiotics, are needed for probiotics to survive and thrive.

Prebiotics promote the growth of probiotics

Prebiotics are nondigestible dietary fibers that promote the growth and activity of probiotics. That much we do know. But dieticians, processors and consumers have so much more to learn.

Karen Giles-Smith MS, RD

August 17, 2013

Prebiotics have recently received a plethora of press in the food industry news. Manufacturers of prebiotic ingredients are promoting the “prebiotic properties,” “prebiotic functionality” and “prebiotic benefits” of their products. Writers are touting the “prebiotic effects” of isolated ingredients from novel sources such as spirulina, spruce trees, Yacon root, yams, agave and Jerusalem artichokes.

Prebiotics and health: a compelling story

As scientists learn more about prebiotics, dairy’s prospects increase. For the present time, look to plants if you want to add prebiotics. But for the future, prebiotics could come from the oligosaccharides in whey permeate.

Karen Giles-Smith MS, RD

August 16, 2012

Although 72% of Americans are aware of prebiotics’ association with digestive health, according to the International Food Information Council’s 2011 functional foods survey, most would be hard-pressed to describe prebiotics and their functions. That’s understandable. The story of prebiotics and health is not simple. But as scientists learn more, the story becomes more compelling and worth the telling.

Formulating ice cream with prebiotics, probiotics

Processors can introduce these healthy bacteria into frozen desserts by using syrups, sauces and inclusions.

Bruce Tharp

Steven Young

May 14, 2012

In our February column we discussed the importance of digestive health as the basis of all good nutrition and the role ice cream products could play in terms of providing probiotic (consumption of “live and active beneficial” bacteria) and/or probiotic friendly (that is, prebiotic) mix ingredients. We reviewed delivery of probiotics via active culturing and/or cold inoculation.