EUROPEAN MARKET DEVELOPMENTS IN PREBIOTIC-CONTAINING AND PROBIOTIC-CONTAINING FOODSTUFFS

A growing number of food manufacturers in western Europe are beginning to explore the commercial opportunities for foodstuffs containing hea lth-promoting microbial food supplements (probiotics) and health-promo ting non-digestible food ingredients (prebiotics). A prebiotic is cons idered to affect the host beneficially by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of naturally present or introduced bacterial species in the colon, also leading to a claim ed improvement in host health. Increasingly, probiotics and prebiotics are used in combination, this being termed a synbiotic (Gibson & Robe rfroid, 1995). Throughout European history, fermented milk products in particular have been considered beneficial to health, but only in rec ent years has there been scientific support for these beliefs. Issues considered important to the continuing development of this growing mar ket are proof of safety, proof of efficacy, consumer education, market positioning, price and appropriate health claims strategies. Until re cently, much of the innovation in the use of probiotics and prebiotics has been in the dairy cabinet, with an ever-growing number and range of 'health-promoting' yoghurts and yoghurt-type fermented milk being m ade available to the European consumer, a market which is currently es timated to be worth in excess of $US2 billion per annum (Hilliam er al . 1997). However, prebiotics are beginning to find increasing applicat ion outside the dairy sector, particularly in baked goods. A key drive r behind the broadening application of prebiotics has been the pro-act ive stance taken by key prebiotic suppliers such as Beghin-Say, Orafti and Cosucra. To date, market activity in probiotic- and prebiotic-con taining foods has centred around three health propositions, namely imp roving general gut health, lowering blood cholesterol and improving th e body's natural defences.