USA – The global probiotics market is projected to grow to US$64 billion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% through 2022, according to Ingredients.
While all regions are expected to experience growth, the fastest region is Latin America, with Brazil contributing to 52% of the area’s total probiotic market.
With the rising middle-class levels and more disposable income expanding awareness, innovation and product availability has improved across the region.
“Latin America is one of the largest opportunities for probiotic fortified foods and beverages, but the challenge here is that education plays a big role in consumers understanding the health benefits associated with probiotics,” said Michael Bush, Executive Director at Kerry for Wellmune and GanedenBC.
“This highlights the importance for manufacturers to look for probiotics that can easily convey their specific benefits while offering flexible formulation attributes.
Choosing a science-backed probiotic that is well-positioned and can be efficiently formulated into better-for-you versions of everyday foods and beverages will reach an untapped consumer base.”
In Asia, China leads probiotic market growth with an estimated 35.4% of market share, helping drive the region’s estimated 8.5% CAGR through 2022.
Opportunities for probiotic fortified food and beverages with digestive health benefits are driven by increased interests in key consumer groups including an expanding population aged 60 and older, as well as families with children.
“Successful probiotic products across all global markets must include innovation into new product categories,” continued Bush.
“In the past, probiotic stability has led to manufacturing challenges that may have stifled innovation, because it was thought probiotics could not be incorporated into different types of foods and beverages.
New probiotic technologies, like GanedenBC, have opened up avenues of innovation because it means they can be used not just in chilled dairy products but also in applications such as non-dairy beverages, frozen foods, cookies, cereals, baked goods and even hot drinks.”
GanedenBC is a market leading probiotic strain that offers digestive, immune and protein utilization health benefits.
Because GanedenBC is a spore-forming probiotic, it is much more resistant to the extremes of pH, heat, cold and pressure than vegetative cells, making it a much better fit for fortification of everyday foods and beverages.
Highly stable with up to three years of shelf life, it has a protective shell that shields it from both stomach acids as well as food-processing conditions like heat, shear, HTST and HPP pasteurization.
“The challenges with introducing new probiotic products and brands into untapped economies such as Latin America and China must be met with science-backed probiotics that are well-positioned and can be efficiently formulated into better-for-you versions of everyday foods and beverage,” stated Bush.
“The ingredients that win out are well-studied, branded probiotics that easily convey a benefit-driven story that consumers can understand and trust.
A strong branded functional ingredient should be backed by documented safety, efficacy and quality.”
