Yakult

is a Japanese sweetened probiotic milk beverage fermented with the bacteria strain '' Lacticaseibacillus casei'' Shirota. It is sold by Yakult Honsha, based in Tokyo. It is distributed through convenience stores and supermarkets in single-serving containers of (depending on the manufacturer)
or , often in single-row packs of five or ten.

Ingredients

Yakult ingredients are water, skimmed milk, glucose-fructose syrup, sucrose, and live ''Lactobacillus casei Shirota'' bacteria. The strain was originally classified as being ''Lactobacillus casei'' but in 2008 it was reclassified as belonging to ''L. paracasei''.

Yakult is prepared by adding glucose to skimmed milk and heating the mixture at 90 to 95 °C for about 30 minutes. After letting it cool down to 45 °C, the mixture is inoculated with the lactobacillus and incubated for 6 to 7 days at 37 to 38 °C. After fermentation, water, sugar, gums and lactic acid are added.

Health claims

In 2006, a panel appointed by the Netherlands Nutrition Center (''Voedingscentrum'') to evaluate a marketing request by Yakult found sufficient evidence to justify claims that drinking at least one bottle of Yakult per day might help improve bowel movements for people who tend to be constipated and might help maintain a healthy population of gut flora.

In 2010, a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel denied a request by the company to market Yakult as defending the upper respiratory tract against pathogens (in other words, protection against diseases like the common cold), finding the claim not supported by the evidence. Lay summary:

In 2013, the UK Advertising Standards Authority disallowed an advertisement for Yakult in response to a complaint. It found that while there was sufficient evidence for the claim that "significant numbers of viable actobacillussurvived transit to the gut fter consumption of Yakult, the advertisement had made claims of general health benefits without providing a specific, referenced claim, as required.

Marketing history

Yakult was invented in 1935 in Japan by Minoru Shirota, who helped to found Yakult Honsha in order to commercialize it. Although Yakult is sold in Japan in supermarkets and convenience stores it is also sold door-to-door in Asia and in Latin America by women traditionally known as Yakult Ladies.

History

*In 1930, Scientist Minoru Shirota strengthened and cultured the Lactobacillus casei shirota strain
*In 1935, Yakult started being made in Japan.
*In 1955, Yakult Honsha was founded.
*In 1963, Yakult began a home delivery service, using 'Yakult lady' employees.
*In 1964, Yakult began selling in other countries, beginning with Taiwan.
*In 1968, Yakult opens its first factory outside Japan in the city of São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil.
*In 1969, the Hong Kong Yakult Co Ltd was founded.
*In 1969, Korea Yakult was founded in South Korea.
*In 1994, Yakult started being sold in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States.

Relationship with Danone

In February 2018, it was reported that Danone planned to sell US$1.9 billion of its Yakult investment, reducing its stake from 21% to 7%. The plan was followed by a decline in Yakult's share value. Danone had first bought shares in Yakult in April 2000. The sale was completed in March 2018.

In mass media

In September 2018, it was reported that the appearance of unlabelled Yakult bottles in the 2018 film '' To All the Boys I've Loved Before'' led to a rise in the drink's sales that coincided with a 2.8% increase in share price following the film's release on 17 August.

See also

* Actimel
* Calpis
* Fermented milk products
* List of fermented foods

References

External links

*

{{Authority control

Fermented dairy products
Japanese brands
Japanese drinks