Zukay Live Foods Introduces the World's First Line of Probiotic Condiments

10/04/08 Zukay Live Foods announces the launch of the first-to-market probiotic, lacto-fermented condiments. Each product in the Zukay line-up, which includes Ketchup, Salsas and Relishes, contains a symbiosis of live cultures with fresh raw ingredients in a non-dairy base. These "good" bacteria combined with the freshest vegetables and fragrant, aromatic herbs make it easy to choose everyday foods that are not only good, but good-for-you, too. The entire Zukay line is 100% natural with absolutely no chemicals or preservatives.

Fed up with countless processed food offerings, the staggering rise in digestive health issues, and the concern for what they've been putting in their own bodies for years, the husband and wife team behind Zukay initially spent years of experimenting with new foods, cooking methods and involvement in local agriculture in pursuit of their own health, wellness and vitality. They evolved into "food purists" and started raising their own vegetables, when they were introduced to the ancient tradition of lacto-fermentation, a method of naturally preserving foods that also dramatically enhances foods' flavor, freshness and nutritional value.

Lacto-fermentation is a unique process performed completely by natural means. Lactobacilli or other symbiotic "good" bacteria are added to fresh vegetables and allowed to grow. These friendly bacteria eat the starches and sugars in the vegetables turning them into lactic acid, which acts as a natural preservative. This natural fermentation process gives the Zukay products an incredibly delicious and incredibly fresh taste and creates a probiotic platform that adds many vitamins and enzymes not available in unfermented foods.

While it is unusual to imagine making something like raw vegetables healthier, Zukay has brought together the best of science and nature.

What started as a personal obsession with eating only the healthiest, least processed and most natural foods turned into an obsession to increase the nutritional health of Americans by creating a new category of everyday favorites into healthier, more delicious foods.

"We spent years researching and living life based on local, sustainable, live foods prepared in the same way that made our ancestors healthy and strong," says Scott Grzybek, Co-founder/CEO, Zukay Live Foods. "Today's typical lifestyle puts beneficial intestinal flora under attack from stress, lack of sleep, processed sugar, and toxin overload. We set out to create foods that provide the body probiotics it needs by eating familiar favorites people already love."

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that live in the digestive system and are believed to have a number of health benefits while making it difficult for harmful pathogens to survive. All Zukay products feature a powerful probiotic mix of Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus Thermophilus.

These probiotic cultures naturally ferment the raw ingredients leaving behind all the beneficial enzymes and vitamins that are not present in unfermented foods.

Probiotics are believed to:
--  Increase digestive health
--  Increase immune system functionality
--  Decrease allergies and asthma
--  Decrease negative digestive effects of antibiotics
--  Help to decrease the risk of colon cancer