In the post-epidemic era, the probiotic industry ushered in a new trend

In recent years, the research and recognition of the health function of probiotics have continued to deepen, the consumption of probiotics has surged, and industrial development has ushered in a window period. Survey data shows that China’s probiotics industry has a growth rate of more than 20% for three consecutive years, and it has a vast market space. It is estimated that the output value of the global probiotic industry will exceed 77 billion US dollars in 2025, and the Chinese market will account for more than 25%.

On August 19-21, the 15th International Symposium on Probiotics and Health hosted by the Chinese Society for Food Science and Technology, the Probiotic Branch of the Chinese Society for Food Science and Technology, and Nanjing Agricultural University was held in Nanjing. More than 40 scientific research institutes from across the country and more than 50 companies focusing on the research and application of probiotics led by Yili Group gathered together to map the future development of the probiotics industry.

The probiotics industry rises against the trend

In 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic outbreak accelerated consumers’ awareness and attention to immune nutrition products. Among them, probiotic products have become people’s “new favorites” in pursuit of health due to their effects on improving the gastrointestinal tract and enhancing immunity.

Shao Wei (vice chairman and secretary-general of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, and secretary-general of the Probiotics Branch of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology) mentioned that, the food industry appears in 5 industries where operating income has increased among 41 sub-sectors, which including the probiotic industry.

According to data provided by Zhou Guanghong (vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology), the global probiotic supplement industry has reached 6.10 billion US dollars, and the Chinese probiotic supplement industry has reached 4.24 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18% in 2019. In the first quarter of 2020, the sales growth rate of my country’s probiotics industry reached more than 20%. The industry’s “increasing against the trend” showed its market value related to health in a particular period.

Although the probiotic industry is developing rapidly, problems have gradually emerged. Shao Wei pointed out that “emphasis on the foundation, less application” is a significant bottleneck in developing the current probiotic industry. Searching for “probiotics” through HowNet, Chinese journals have 9,541 articles, about 6% of the articles on industrial applications, and more than 90% of the pieces are based on basic theoretical research. The survey shows that in the study of probiotic production technology, the stability of strains is the focus of probiotic production technology, which accounts for 72.54%. In addition, there is a lack of research related to probiotics and special populations, and detection technology has become an urgent technical problem to be overcome.

“Be prepared to respond to various changes in the post-epidemic era.” Shao Wei said that while continuing to consolidate basic research, it is necessary to increase research on applied technologies and accelerate industrialization. In addition, we must also pay attention to the construction of fundamental issues in the legal and standard system.

In the post-epidemic era, one of the main lines in the development of China’s food industry is health. Zhou Guanghong said that probiotics, as a health carrier, will have heavier tasks and more challenges in the development process around this mainline. He suggested that one is to consolidate further and accelerate probiotics in clinical research; second, the industry should rationally face development opportunities and form a benign ecological environment with technology as its core competitiveness. The third is to pay attention to the cultivation of young talents in the probiotics field so that the development of probiotics technology and industry will have “successors.”

The research on probiotics, intestinal flora, and host health has always been a hot spot in scientific and technological circles. Chen Wei (the academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of Jiangnan University) predicted that the probiotic industry would develop in the direction of popularization, individualization, and precision, but the work that needs to be done includes the following aspects: in-depth fundamental research and clarification of the efficacy mechanism; Strengthen technological innovation and reduce production costs; focus on policy formulation and improve market management; increase widespread science publicity to enhance consumer awareness.

Enterprises are in the game

As one of the fastest-growing segments, the probiotic market has become a must-see for China’s nutritious food and health industries. As the largest application carrier of probiotics, the dairy industry is also optimistic about and overweight the probiotics market. Fermented milk and infant formula milk powders with probiotics are also active in innovation.

Liu Chunxi (vice president of Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., Ltd.) believes that the milk and probiotic industries are in risk during the Covid-19 epidemic. Yili has been thinking about how to combine probiotics and milk better. Yili integrates Changqing yogurt, ice cream, and Golden-collar Crown infant formula milk with probiotics to improve product quality. In the post-epidemic era, the combination of milk and probiotics to ensure nutrient intake, provide delicious taste, improve immunity, and meet the diverse needs of consumers will be the direction of Yili’s future development.

During the conference, Yili demonstrated the innovative research results of bifidobacterium lactis BL-99 in promoting digestion and intestinal health. It is reported that bifidobacterium lactis BL-99 is the first exclusive probiotic strain independently developed by Yili in 8 years, which originated from the intestinal tract of healthy Chinese babies. Studies have shown that bifidobacterium lactis BL-99 can regulate the intestinal flora and promote bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria in the intestine. At present, Yixiao, a yogurt brand under Yili, has fully applied this exclusive probiotic.

Liu Xiaojun (President of Beijing Ketuo Hengtong) said that the popularity of probiotics research has greatly revealed the importance of probiotics acting on the intestinal tract, and has also encouraged more companies to pay attention to and develop probiotic products, and increase consumers’ awareness of probiotics cognition. In the post-epidemic era, as a probiotic-related company, it is necessary to do a solid and scientific evidence-based approach to import safe, effective and useful probiotics into the market and deliver them to consumers.

Professor Gu Qing (School of Food and Bioengineering of Zhejiang Gongshang University) said that one must pay attention to basic research and tap probiotic resources in probiotic research. The other must pay attention to function research and development. By using new strains to improve the health of products, different tastes and sub-populations have been developed. The products meet the diverse health needs of consumers and inject strong impetus into the rapid development of the probiotic industry.

Industry builds “weights and measures”

January 2020, the “New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan (Trial Version 4)” issued by the National Health Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. For the first time stated that “intestinal microecological regulators can be used to maintain intestinal microbiota ecological balance to prevent secondary bacterial infections.” Academician Li Lanjuan also proposed the importance of microecological therapy.

Consumers often do not know how to choose probiotic health products and foods, such as granules, drops, capsules, candy biscuits, dairy products, baby food supplements on the market. During the rapid development of the industry, there are also many problems such as improper use of probiotic concepts, unclear core strains, and difficulty in scientifically defining functional properties.

For the definition of probiotics, in 2001, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization/WHO Joint Expert Committee proposed that probiotics are a type of living microorganisms that can exert beneficial effects on the host when ingested in sufficient quantities.

Sufficient number, viable bacteria status, and health benefits are the core characteristics of probiotics. The functions of probiotic health foods approved in my country are mainly focused on enhancing immunity and regulating intestinal flora. In addition, probiotic health foods also have laxative, auxiliary protective functions on the gastric mucosa, promote digestion, and chemical liver, damage protection, and other parts. At present, China requires that the number of viable bacteria within the shelf life of probiotic health food should not be less than 106 CFU/mL (g).

The “Scientific Awareness of Health Foods (Probiotics and Fungi)” issued by the Chinese Society for Food Science and Technology. Consumers should pay attention to whether the product is marked with a clear functional strain when purchasing probiotic health food; whether the product is marked the number of viable bacteria must be at least 106 CFU/mL(g); the appropriate storage conditions for the product should be checked. For products that need to be stored in a low-temperature environment, they should pay attention to the temperature of the sales environment to ensure probiotics.

In recent years, China has been improving its laws and regulations on probiotic health food. 2017, Fan Hongping (deputy director of the Special Food Safety Supervision and Administration Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation) mentioned that, the State Administration for Market Regulation entrusted the Chinese Society for Food Science and Technology to organize research on the declaration and review of probiotic health foods, and further clarified the definition of probiotics, expanding the scope of use of probiotics and product types, and focusing on the safety and efficacy review of probiotics at the strain level, so that my country’s probiotic health foods are gradually in line with international standards.

In 2018, the National Health Commission officially included the “National Food Safety Standard: Food Safety Evaluation Procedures” in the annual national standard formulation and revision plan to regulate the healthy development of the industry. In 2019, the “Probiotics Health Food Application and Review Regulations (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)” and its supporting technical regulations and documents had been open to the public for comments. Nine probiotics, including lactobacillus acidophilus, lactobacillus rhamnosus, and bifidobacterium bifidum, are included in health food research raw material catalog, and related work is fully carried out to promote the filing management of probiotic health food gradually. The landing of a series of standards and regulations indicates that the probiotic industry has taken an essential step in constructing standards and regulations.

Experts in the industry believe that the term “probiotics” itself has a functional meaning. In the future, establishing a comprehensive evaluation index and system for the function of probiotics and the use of the term “probiotics” will become a critical issue that needs to be considered in the next step. It is also an essential part of balancing government supervision and industrial development needs.