July 24, 2008

Danisco adds probiotics to milk products to enhance value

Danisco's Howaru Protect blend, a new probiotic fortification for milk products, will be launched in North America to target the market for immune-boosting children's products.

Danisco, one of the world's leading food ingredient makers, said its new blend can meet consumer demand for immune-boosting products that protect children from common illnesses like cold, fever and coughs.

Clinical trials carried out by independent groups showed that a daily dose of Howaru Protect helped reduce respiratory tract infections in children during winter.

Howaru Protect, which can be used in plain and flavoured milk, is the latest addition to the Danish firm's Howaru range of target-specific probiotics that has been selling well in recent years. The new probiotic, will also help add value to milk, a commodity that is becoming increasingly expensive worldwide, the company said.

Although the milk probiotic blend is launched particularly for North American consumers, Danisco said its Howaru probiotic range is available around the world for use in dairy, food and supplement formulation.

The company's launch comes after Morinaga Milk's announcement last year that it was also targeting the US probiotic market due to fast growth for the use of functional ingredients.