Baking & Snack - October 2009 - 49

DIGESTIVE HEALTH

said that they were already consuming prebiotics for
this reason, while 47% were likely or somewhat likely to
consume prebiotics.
Americans' relationship with probiotics and prebiotics
is in its infancy, with many manufacturers responding to
consumer interest by incorporating either probiotics or
prebiotics, or both, which is referred to as synbiotics, into
more foods that people eat every day. This includes baked
grain-based foods such as nutrition bars, muffins, cookies and even chips and crackers.
BAKING CHALLENGES. Probiotics are sensitive microorganisms and can lose viability when exposed to heat
and other extreme conditions. In fact, probiotic supplementation has historically been limited to refrigerated
and frozen foods, usually dairy foods, because even ambient temperature can decrease probiotic viability unless
the microorganism is protected.
"The ability to bake cookies and other products with
probiotics is something that was unheard of until recently," said Mike Bush, vice-president for business development, Ganeden Biotech Inc., Cleveland, OH.
The company's patented probiotic (Bacillus coagulans
GBI-30, 6086) is protected by a hardened structure, or
spore, which is analogous to a seed. This spore protects
the cell's genetic material from the heat and pressure of
manufacturing processes, challenges
of shelf life and the acid and
bile to which it is exposed
to during digestive
transit. The viable
spore is then able
to grow and
multiply into
new cells in
the small and
large intestines, according
to the company.
PC Brands, Solana Beach, CA,
manufactures Pop Culture Probiotics
Bars, shelf-stable grain-based nutrition bars
that are enhanced with this spore-encapsulated probiotic.
"With its innovative probiotic strain, Ganeden Biotech
is opening up new possibilities for consumers who want
non-refrigerated probiotic-enhanced food products that
can help regulate the digestive system," explained Jack
Kelly, president, PC Brands. These bars are a great way
for consumers to get their daily dose of probiotics in a
convenient, great-tasting, on-the-go shelf-stable form."
Main Street Gourmet, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, a manufacturer of gourmet frozen bakery products, has introduced Activate, a new raisin bran muffin fortified with

BAKING & SNACK / October 2009

the same probiotic.
"At first I was a bit skeptical, however, after collaborating
with Ganeden labs, we were able to do something no company had done before," said Harvey Nelson, c.e.o. of Main Street
Gourmet. "We found a method to add probiotic bacteria to
our mixing and baking process without affecting the muffin's
taste or texture. That's a big deal in the baking business."
NakedPizza, formerly World's Healthiest Pizza,
New Orleans, LA, now offers the first delivery pizza in the US to be fortified with both probiotics and
prebiotics. The probiotics are incorporated into the
company's original Prebiotic Multi-Grain Crust,
enhancing the positioning of the pizza as an easy way to
promote digestive health.
"The addition of probiotics to our Prebiotic MultiGrain Crust will not affect taste and will enhance
the nutritional profile of our great-tasting immuneboosting pizza," said Jeff Leach, co-founder of NakedPizza. "This is a big deal for our business and consistent
with our mission to demonstrate that pizza can be part of
a healthy lifestyle."
A way to overcome the challenges of losing probiotic
viability through exposure to heat is to add probiotics
after baking, possibly through a topping, frosting, coating, etc. For example, Barry Callebaut North America,
Chicago, IL, introduced dark and milk chocolate ingredients enhanced with probiotics. Manufactured using a
proprietary production process, the chocolate has a long
shelf life and does not require refrigeration.
"While probiotics have been used in dairy foods like
yogurt for some time, our studies have found that chocolate is a superior carrier for the intestinal delivery of
probiotic bacteria," explained Rich Benson, director of
research and development at Barry Callebaut. "In fact,
the survival rate of probiotics in chocolate was found to
be three times higher than that of the milk matrix and
probiotic yogurt drink we tested. There were virtually no
negative effects from stomach acids."
Numerous suppliers of probiotics and/or prebiotics
use clinical studies to support claims. For example, a team
of researchers at Denmark-based Danisco has shown the
potential synbiotic effect of dietary supplementation with
a probiotic culture (Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM)
and the prebiotic lactitol in healthy seniors. The study
found the synbiotic combination increased the level of
beneficial gut bacteria, improved immune and mucosal
function and gave moderately enhanced bowel movements with no side effects.
This combination, as well as the many others involving
clinically proven probiotics and prebiotics can be formulated into baked foods, either directly or indirectly, depending
upon the ingredient. The popularity of probiotics and prebiotics will only continue as long as formulators and marketers follow the guidelines for usage and claims.
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Baking & Snack - October 2009

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