Yakult - Wikipedia

This article is about the beverage. For the Japanese professional baseball team, see Tokyo Yakult Swallows.Sweetened probiotic milk beverage Yakult

A single serving of Yakult
Type	Drink
Manufacturer	Yakult Honsha
Distributor	Yakult Honsha
Origin	Japan
Introduced	1935
Colour	Light peach
Ingredients	Water, skimmed milk, glucose-fructose syrup, sucrose, citrus, live Lacticaseibacillus casei Shirota

Yakult (ヤクルト, Yakuruto) is a Japanese sweetened probiotic milk beverage fermented with the bacteria strain Lacticaseibacillus casei Shirota. It is sold by Yakult Honsha based in Tokyo. The name "Yakult" was coined from jahurto, an Esperanto word meaning "yogurt".[1]

Ingredients

[edit]

Yakult's ingredients are water, skimmed milk, glucose-fructose syrup, sucrose, natural flavours (citrus), and live Lacticaseibacillus casei Shirota bacteria.[2][3] The strain was originally classified as being Lactobacillus casei.[2]

Yakult is prepared by adding glucose to skimmed milk and heating the mixture at 90 to 95 °C for about 30 minutes. After letting it cool down to 45 °C, the mixture is inoculated with the lactobacillus and incubated for 6 to 7 days at 37 to 38 °C. After fermentation, water, sugar, gums, and lactic acid are added.[4]

Health claims

[edit]

In 2006, a panel appointed by the Netherlands Nutrition Center (Voedingscentrum) to evaluate a marketing request by Yakult found sufficient evidence to justify claims that drinking at least one bottle of Yakult per day might help improve bowel movements for people who tend to be constipated and might help maintain a healthy population of gut flora.[5] However, these claims are not approved as health claims under EU regulations, which require authorization by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The Netherlands Nutrition Center does not endorse specific probiotic products like Yakult, as only one probiotic health claim is authorized in the EU: that live bacteria in yogurt or fermented milk improve lactose digestion in individuals with lactose maldigestion. This claim is exclusive to yogurt and fermented milk containing specific strains (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus).[6][7] EFSA has rejected most probiotic health claims, including those for strains not in yogurt/fermented milk.[8]

In 2010, a EFSA panel decided that the company was not allowed to make the health claim that the product defends the upper respiratory tract against pathogens (and thus protect against diseases like the common cold), finding that this not supported by evidence.[2]

In 2013, the UK Advertising Standards Authority disallowed an advertisement for Yakult in response to a complaint. It found that while there was sufficient evidence for the claim that "significant numbers of viable [Lactobacillus] survived transit to the gut [after consumption of Yakult]", the advertisement had made claims of general health benefits without providing a specific, referenced claim, as required.[9]

Marketing history

[edit]

Yakult was invented in 1935 in Japan by Minoru Shirota, who helped found the company Yakult Honsha for the purpose of commercializing it.[10] Although Yakult is sold in Japan in supermarkets and convenience stores, it is also sold door-to-door in Japan, Asia, and Latin America in convenience stores.[11]

History

[edit]

In 1930, scientist Minoru Shirota strengthened and cultured the Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain.[12] Five years later, in 1935, Yakult began production in Japan.[12] The company continued to expand, and in 1955, Yakult Honsha was established.

In 1963, Yakult introduced a home delivery service, employing "Yakult ladies" to distribute the product directly to consumers.[12] The following year, Yakult expanded internationally, beginning sales in Taiwan.[12] In 1968, the company opened its first factory outside Japan in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil.[13] This international growth continued in 1969 with the establishment of the Hong Kong Yakult Co Ltd[14] and the founding of Korea Yakult in South Korea.[15]

By 1981, Yakult had entered the Mexican market, opening a factory in the city of Ixtapaluca under the direction of Carlos Kasuga.[16] Further expansion took place in 1994, with the product becoming available in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States.[1]

In 2004, Yakult launched sales in New Zealand through its Australian operations. That same year, Yakult LIGHT was introduced in Australia, offering a lower-sugar alternative. In 2017, the company reformulated Yakult LIGHT to further reduce sugar and energy content, replacing sugar with Stevia.[17]

In 2014, the company opened its first manufacturing facility in the United States, located in Fountain Valley, California.[18]

Relationship with Danone

[edit]

In February 2018, it was reported that Danone planned to sell US$1.9 billion of its Yakult investment, reducing its stake from 21% to 7%.[19][20] The plan was followed by a decline in Yakult's share value.[21] Danone had first bought shares in Yakult in April 2000.[21] The sale was completed in March 2018.[22]

In mass media

[edit]

In September 2018, it was reported that the appearance of unlabelled Yakult bottles in the 2018 film To All the Boys I've Loved Before led to a rise in the drink's sales that coincided with a 2.8% increase in share price following the film's release on 17 August.[23][24]

In January 2020, professional sumo wrestler Takakeishō Takanobu appeared in a television commercial advertising Yakult 1000.[25][26]

See also

[edit]

• Actimel
• Bikkle
• Calpis
• Fermented milk products
• List of fermented foods
• Tokyo Yakult Swallows

References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Cocozza, Paula (5 September 2018). "The cult of Yakult: the surprising reason the world's gone wild for the probiotic drink". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
2. ^ a b c EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (October 2010). "Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota and maintenance of the upper respiratory tract defence against pathogens by maintaining immune defences pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) N". EFSA Journal. 8 (10): 1860. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1860. Lay summary: Wallop, Harry (20 October 2010). "Probiotic drinks do not aid health, Europe says". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
3. ^ "Yakult product information and nutrition facts". Yakult U.S.A. Inc. 19 December 2015. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
4. ^ Jost, Rolf (2007), "Milk and Dairy Products", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry (7th ed.), doi:10.1002/14356007.a16_589.pub3, ISBN 978-3527306732
5. ^ "Assessment Report: Yakult". Netherlands Nutrition Centre. 10 November 2006. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
6. ^ "Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to live yoghurt cultures and improved lactose digestion (ID 1143, 2976)". EFSA Journal. 8 (10): 1763. 2010. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1763.
7. ^ Voedingscentrum over probiotica
8. ^ "Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to a combination of Bifidobacterium longum LA 101, Lactobacillus helveticus LA 102, Lactococcus lactis LA 103 and Streptococcus thermophillus LA 104 and reducing intestinal discomfort pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 (example, search EFSA for other opinion reports on probiotics". EFSA Journal. 11 (2): 3085. 2013. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3085.
9. ^ "ASA Adjudication on Yakult UK Ltd". Advertising Standards Authority. 15 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
10. ^ Caramia, Giuseppe; Silvi, Stefania (2011). "Chapter 1: Probiotics: From the Ancient Wisdom to the Actual Therapeutical and Neutraceutical Perspective". In Malago, Joshua J.; Koninkx, Jos. F. J. G.; Marinsek-Logar, R. (eds.). Probiotic Bacteria and Enteric Infections Cytoprotection by Probiotic Bacteria. Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media. p. 6. ISBN 978-9-4007-0386-5. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
11. ^ "Yakult Probiotic Drink: Bottled Gut Health Magic". Prosperopedia.com. 8 March 2021.
12. ^ a b c d Ryall, Julian (11 November 2018). "The Yakult story: Japanese health drink that conquered world with beneficial bacteria and beaming ladies". The Star. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
13. ^ "Origem - Yakult Brasil". Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
14. ^ "Hong Kong Yakult Co Ltd". Facebook. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
15. ^ "야쿠르트 - 윤덕병". 30 September 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
16. ^ Bretón, Ángeles (21 May 2022). "Yakult: cuatro décadas de arraigo en Puebla". El Universal Puebla (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
17. ^ "FAQ". Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
18. ^ Conley, Paul (20 May 2014). "Yakult opens probiotic drink factory in California". Food Dive. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
19. ^ Kar-Gupta, Sudip; Vidalon, Dominique (14 February 2018). "Danone to sell $1.9 billion Yakult stake in quest to boost shareholder returns". Reuters. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
20. ^ "Danone to Sell Stake in Japan's Yakult for $1.9 Billion". Bloomberg. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
21. ^ a b Gretler, Corinne (14 February 2018). "Yakult Declines After Danone's $1.9 Billion Share Sale Plan". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
22. ^ "Danone completes 1.3bn euro sale of its 14% stake in Yakult". FoodBev Media. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
23. ^ Petter, Olivia (4 September 2018). "Yakult shares increase following release of Netflix's 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
24. ^ Balji, Divya (3 September 2018). "Netflix Teen Comedy Helps Yakult Yogurt Drink Fly Off Shelves". BloombergQuint. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
25. ^ "貴景勝「熱いお風呂ダメ」ダチョウ倶楽部の勧誘断る - 大相撲 : 日刊スポーツ". Nikkan Sports. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
26. ^ "貴景勝 関がテレビＣＭ初出演！！「Ｙａｋｕｌｔ（ヤクルト）１０００」の新ＣＭがスタート！！" (PDF) (in Japanese). Yakult Honsha. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2023.

External links

[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yakult.

• Official website

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