New License Agreement with Fonterra Fortifies Danisco Probiotics

15/02/08 Danisco has attained long-term access to two highly documented probiotic strains in a new licence agreement with Fonterra. The agreement also marks Danisco’s launch of the strains, marketed as HOWARU Bifido and HOWARU Rhamnosus, on the dietary supplement market.

Scott Bush, Vice-President of Danisco’s Dairy Supplements Business Unit, welcomes the renewed opportunity to supply the probiotics for many years ahead and looks forward to a stronger development partnership between Danisco and Fonterra.

“HOWARU Bifido and Rhamnosus offer our customers a unique competitive advantage as they make it possible to market products with proven benefits,” Bush says.

“Health professionals, regulatory authorities and consumers are increasingly aware that probiotic health benefits are strain-specific. More and more they require that these benefits be demonstrated in human clinical studies. Yet some probiotic products on the market still contain strains that have little or no documentation of health benefits in human clinical studies. For the HOWARU strains, we have such evidence of efficacy.”

Clinically proven

Key products in Danisco’s leading range of premium probiotic cultures, HOWARU Bifido and HOWARU Rhamnosus are clinically proven to strengthen the human digestive and immune systems. Since 2001, when Fonterra first granted marketing and selling rights to Danisco, the strains have been successfully applied in a wide range of applications with strong health benefit statements.

As human clinical studies continue to provide more evidence of the strains’ health benefits, the global market for probiotics is experiencing annual growth of around 10%– with the growth rate in North America currently at 20%. It is against this positive backdrop that Danisco has chosen to launch HOWARU Bifido and HOWARU Rhamnosus on the dietary supplement market. Here, Young Living Essential Oils, the world-leading essential oils supplier, has become the first customer, applying them in its high-potency probiotic supplement, Life 5.

In addition to dairy products and supplements, HOWARU probiotics are effective in bars, juice, spreads, confectionery products, ice cream and other food applications.

Fonterra confident

Fonterra originally isolated the strains in 1997 and has conducted extensive research into their health benefits, including the first large-scale clinical studies. Nigel Little, New Options Manager at Fonterra, is confident that Danisco is the right company to market and sell these strains.

“Danisco’s leading position within the cultures industry and the sustained growth of its probiotic business demonstrate the necessary drive to maximise the potential of these two strains - and ensure consumers rich opportunities to enjoy the benefits they can provide in a broad range of food and dietary supplement products,” he says.