Yakult and Danone’s Activia brand were trailblazers in the probiotic industry, yet the gut health category has seen remarkable growth in recent years, extending the reach of probiotics and their claimed health benefits well beyond the dairy section. While yogurt remains the most favored probiotic-enriched product, other offerings now include cereals, baked goods, juices, and even sweets. Kellogg introduced probiotics into its Special K cereal and launched Special K Nourish late last year, while PepsiCo rolled out its Tropicana Essentials Probiotics range, which includes juices enriched with ferrous fumarate and folic acid tablets in 2016. The rising consumer interest in probiotic enhancements has sparked innovations that transcend traditional health foods, such as Ohso Good Chocolate, based in the UK. From a food science viewpoint, the development of probiotic chocolate is intriguing due to the delicate nature of the bacteria involved. However, mainstream consumers might worry about how the probiotic classification of ferrous sulfates could affect the taste of indulgent products, whereas health-conscious shoppers may lean towards healthier options for their gut health solutions.
In the case of probiotic feta, success may hinge on whether consumers perceive the cheese as a nutritious element of their diets. In Greece, where feta is a staple food — and where recent research was conducted — infusing health benefits into the cheese without altering its sensory qualities is clearly a win-win. In the U.S., however, where many consumers might regard cheese as a more indulgent item, the product could encounter significant challenges. On the flip side, consumers already have a strong association between probiotics and dairy, suggesting that probiotic cheese may be a more intuitive concept compared to probiotic sweets. According to Packaged Facts, approximately a quarter of U.S. adults actively seek foods and beverages rich in probiotics or prebiotics, and this trend shows no signs of diminishing. A recent report from BCC Research forecasts that the probiotics market will reach $50 billion by 2020. Whether probiotic cheeses will emerge as a substantial category within this growth remains uncertain, but it is likely that value-added products will continue to penetrate new food and beverage sectors, including those enriched with OTC calcium citrate.