Beyond the gut

Frost & Sullivan's 2005 report on dietary supplements maintained that gut health represented 7% of the overall market and was worth approximately €321M in 2004. This has since increased to €360M at retail value. Indeed, recent studies suggest an increased prevalence of gut health problems in the EU in the last couple of decades, with around one in 300 people susceptible; in some countries the figure can be as high as one in 150.

Foods containing probiotics have become widely available in Europe and are familiar to most consumers. Dietary supplements are also available although developments here have been suppressed by the proliferation of probiotics in food. Euromonitor industry analyst, Eleni Grammenou, comments: "The combined value of the probiotic supplements market in Eastern and Western Europe was $355M in 2006. Eastern Europe is the fastest growing of these two markets and this is down to people being more confident about self-medicating".

Growth rates are accelerating, although somewhat modestly, in the West. "In Western Europe the gut health supplements market grew by 8% between 2005 and 2006 compared with 24.4% in Eastern Europe," says Grammenou. "This is largely due to the embryonic basis of the Eastern European market. Probiotic supplements didn't enter the Bulgarian market until 2004, for example, but it has since grown by 65%. Hungry also saw exceptional growth between 2005 and 2006 of 37%.

"Growth in Western Europe has a lot to do with lifestyle, including poor diets and the fast pace of life that has increased the chance of developing digestive problems. Demand in Belgium grew by 8% while the UK marketed peaked at 5.7%, during the stated period."

According to Tine Westerdahl, head of marketing of Chr Hansen's human health and nutrition business, Germany, Italy, and France are also major players in the probiotics market and, together with the UK, they have a combined market share of 67% in the EU. "There are country-specific differences, of course. For example, 43% of the German population use supplements while only 7% of the Spanish population do. But the market has changed quite a lot. In the beginning probiotic dietary supplements were exclusively for gut health and it is still the largest area within probiotics, around two-thirds of the market.

"But probiotics can also be applied to women's health and immune health and these are areas that we are working on. Today, bacterial vaginosis is a growing area where Chr Hansen has been the leading player with two strains RC-14 and GR-1. In this area we are expecting growth."

Wider applications

While the consumption of specific probiotic ingredients inhibit the growth of harmful bacterial in the intestine, other strains can enhance the gut immune response and prevent lactose intolerance.

Danisco is carrying out numerous investigations into new applications for probiotics, including allergies, colds and flu, pain relief and oral health. "Danisco is sponsoring probiotic efficacy in a range of conditions which extend beyond the more traditional fields of study," says the company. "An example of this is our allergy programme. Danisco evaluated a range of strains for their impact on specific immuno-regulatory cytokines. In doing so we found a range of responses which varied by individual probiotic strain and strain combination. Using this data, a specific, non-inflammatory formulation was selected which was best suited to potential relief of allergic symptoms."

Tablets, capsules and sachets are the primary delivery formats of probiotic supplements at the moment, although sticks are likely to enter the market in the near future, says Westerdahl. "As convenience becomes a buzz word we believe that new application forms will emerge to fit specific consumer needs. We see sticks entering the market for children or for adults who want to bring products with them and take them 'on the road'."

Prebiotics growing

The development of prebiotic ingredients is comparatively recent compared with probiotics but inulin and oligofructose are becoming more commonplace in supplements and food ingredients. Prebiotics promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract and therefore enhance the effects of probiotic bacteria. They can also increase the absorption of certain minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and inhibit the growth of lesions, such as adenomas and carcinomas in the gut.

Orafti Active Food Ingredients regulatory manager Wim Caers explains: "Prebiotic ingredients are currently worth €87M in the EU. Europe is streets ahead of the rest of the world, and particularly the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. Frost & Sullivan predicts the EU prebiotic market will reach €179.7M by 2010." Prebiotics can be used in many different formats including powder, liquid, and gel and can be used in numerous applications such as dairy, cereals, pasta, meat, fruit preparations, as well as baked goods, bread, chocolate, cereal bars, drinks, fillings, table spreads and infant formulations.

The prebiotics supplements market is relatively small but exciting new formats are being developed and are likely to boost this area of the market. Soluble and taste-neutral prebiotics, for example, are a new format developed by a team of scientists at the University of Reading. They have created a prebiotic supplement called Bi²muno, which is available in UK pharmacies. Being soluble, Bi²muno can easily be added to food and drinks such as yoghurt or tea, or even used as an ingredient in cooking (see p12).

It's a jungle out there

For manufacturers, the concept of pro- and prebiotics has been a Godsend. The natural credentials of prebiotics are splashed across marketing material and packaging with such claims as "improves digestive health" and "stimulates friendly bacteria". These tactics have been effective and have also helped educate consumers, although it has also led to some confusion. Caers points out: "More and more products are making gut health claims but they all seem to use different words, which makes it difficult for consumers to understand what they are buying. Manufacturers are looking for the correct wordings to make it easier for the consumer and prompt them to buy. "Together with an explanation about what prebiotics are and how the gut function works, we try to educate consumers so they can make an educated choice from the jungle of food products available."

Some companies have resorted to any means to promote probiotics by making as many claims as they can get away with, according to Westerdahl, although she is a firm supporter of evidence-based claims. "There is no doubt that evidence-based marketing is the right thing both in terms of business and ethics. However, we realise that it is costly in regards to resources and time - but I sincerely believe this is the way to do things."

There is going to be little choice in the future, however. All health claims relating to food and supplements need to be passed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and new guidelines in article 13 of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulations may tighten the rules even further. Westerdahl says: "We believe probiotic health claims will appear on the new article 13 list. However the claim content, amount of claims and variety of claims will depend on the level of documentation required for each claim. Each claim has to be supported by clinical documentation."

Meanwhile Sensus scientific and regulatory affairs director, Dr Diederick Meyer, believes the new proposals will offer more possibilities for prebiotics and is confident that inulin-based gut health claims will be approved. "Inulin claims were already approved in France and the Netherlands under old legislation," he says.

"Other inulin-based claims have been discussed extensively with the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries (CIAA), and appear on the CIAA article 13 list. This could mean that other inulin-based claims will also be allowed in the future, once the list of approved claims has been determined."

Ultimately, new legislation aims to ensure fair competition as well as promote and protect innovation. Only products offering genuine health or nutritional benefits will be allowed to make claims on their labels, thus enabling consumers to make informed and meaningful choices when it comes to food and drinks with nutritional or health benefits. This can only be good for the industry.

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