Yakult 392184 225438753 2008-07-13T18:22:49Z 213.156.52.125 /* Ingredients */ [[Image:Yakult (Yakult Honsha).jpg|thumb|Japanese Yakult.]] [[Image:Yakult china.jpg|thumb|Chinese Yakult.]] <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:comhisbottle.jpg|thumb|First Yakult Bottle]] --> {{nihongo|'''Yakult'''|ヤクルト|Yakuruto}} is a [[Japan]]ese [[probiotic]] [[yogurt]]-like product made by fermenting a mixture of [[skimmed milk]] with a special strain of the [[bacterium|bacteria]] ''[[Lactobacillus casei]] Shirota''. {{nihongo|'''Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.'''|株式会社ヤクルト本社|Kabushiki-gaisha Yakuruto Honsha}} ({{tyo|2267}}) It was created by [[Minoru Shirota]] who graduated from the Medical School of [[Kyoto University]] in [[1930]]. In [[1935]], he started manufacturing and selling Yakult. Official claims state that the name is derived from ''jahurto'', an older form of ''jogurto'', the [[Esperanto]] word for "yogurt".<ref>[http://www.yakult.com.au/resources/popups/pop_faqs01.htm What is the origin of Yakult’s name?]</ref><ref>[http://www.uni-leipzig.de/esperanto/voko/revo/art/jogurt.html Reta Vortaro - jogurto]</ref> Since then, Yakult has also introduced a line of beverages for the Japanese market that contain ''[[Bifidobacterium]] breve'' bacteria, and has also used its lactobacilli research to develop cosmetics. More recently, the Yakult Honsha played a major role in developing the [[chemotherapy]] drug [[irinotecan]] (Camptosar, CPT-11).<ref>[http://www.yakult.co.jp/english/company/iyaku/ Yakult company profile: Pharmaceutical Division]</ref> Yakult also owns one of Japan's major [[baseball]] franchises, the [[Tokyo Yakult Swallows]]. Today, Yakult is sold in 31 countries<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yakulteurope.com/index.cfm?menuid=6 |title=Yakult Europe - Yakult worldwide |accessdate=2007-01-16 |format= |work= }}</ref>, although its bacteria cultures are provided from a mother strain from Japan regardless of production location.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Yakult is marketed in different sizes. In [[Australia]], [[Europe]] and [[Indonesia]], Yakult comes in 65mL bottles. In the [[USA]],Latin America and the [[Philippines]], 80 ml bottles are available. Whereas in [[Taiwan]] and [[China]], it comes in 100 ml bottles. <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yakultusa.com/ |title=Yakult USA |accessdate=2007-01-16 |format= |work= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yakult.com.au/product01.htm |title=Yakult Australia - What is Yakult? |accessdate=2007-01-16 |format= |work= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yakult.com.tw/ |title=Yakult Taiwan |accessdate=2007-01-16 |format= |work= }}</ref> In [[South Korea]], where it is also produced, it is called ''yakult'' (hangul: 야쿠르트) and is marketed by the [[Korea Yakult]] company. == Ingredients == Standard Yakult (excludes variations such as in Yakult Light) contains <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yakult.com.au/health01.htm |title=Yakult Australia - Nutritional Information |accessdate=2007-01-16 |format= |work= }}</ref>: *Sugar (sucrose) to balance sourness with sweetness. *Skim milk powder *Dextrose *Natural flavours *Live ''Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota'' , 6.5 billions per 65 mL bottle (concentration of 10^8 CFU/mL) *Water == Scientific basis == The claimed benefits are supported by an array of scientific studies according to the manufacturer website [http://www.yakult07.co.uk/Public/hcp/yakult_the_product/history.aspx]. Those could range from maintenance of gut flora [http://www.yakult07.co.uk/Public/hcp/yakult_lcs/healthy_microbiota.aspx], modulation of the immune system [http://www.yakult07.co.uk/Public/hcp/yakult_lcs/immune_modulation.aspx], regulation of bowel habits and constipation [http://www.yakult07.co.uk/Public/hcp/yakult_lcs/bowel_habit.aspx] and finally effects on some gastro-intestinal infections [http://www.yakult07.co.uk/Public/hcp/yakult_lcs/gastrointestinal_infections.aspx]. Although the number of scientific papers is certainly large, most of them are related to ''in vitro'' and ''in vivo'' experiments, with some human clinical trials done on cohorts [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17311976?ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum] [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15749143?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA] [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9881885?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA]and with daily consumption of 40-100 billions of probiotic ''L. casei shirota'' [http://www.yakult07.co.uk/Public/hcp/yakult_lcs/immune_modulation.aspx]. More research are on going to demonstrate the effectiveness of this product on fighting diarrhea in young indian children [http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00534170?term=yakult&rank=1], as mentioned by the US government website www.clinicaltrials.gov [http://www.clinicaltrials.gov] were clinical trials have to be registered prior to their start, in a move to increase overall credibility when studies are financially sponsored by the drug (or food) manufacturer (proponents of a registry argue that the results of clinical trials with negative results are often not published by the sponsor of the study). == Nutrition Facts == Standard Yakult contains 18g of sugar for every 100g, but comes in 65 mL bottles. This concentration is higher than the level defined as “HIGH” by the UK Food Standards Agency (described for concentrations of sugar above 15g per 100g)[http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthydiet/nutritionessentials/fatssugarssalt/sugars/]. As a comparison Coca-Cola and orange juices are in the range of 10g of sugar per 100g, but with a serving size usually higher than 250 ml the total sugar quantity is higher. Based on the content of milk protein (1.4 g per 100 mL [http://www.yakulteurope.com/index.cfm?menuid=2&ContentID=14]), it is not classified as a flavoured fermented milks of the Codex Standard for Fermented Milks. However, based on the existence of many products like Yakult in the world market, a new category is going to be established into the current Codex Standard for Fermented Milks. Through Nutrient profiling guidelines, current health claim regulation in European Union may forbid the use of health claim on food products that are nutritionally unbalanced, but dairy products and probiotic drinks are likely to be considered as favorable carrier because their health benefits outweigh the fact they might be high in one of the designated 'unhealthy' ingredients [http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=83569]. <!-- link does not work - replaced with the current UK food agency recommendation - While many people take Actimel to improve their health, they are often unaware of the high amount of sugar they are consuming. <ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/scotland/article581810.ece Bacteria-rich health drinks contain 80% more sugar than cola --> == References == <references /> ==External links== *[http://www.yakult.co.jp/english/ Japanese Yakult website] *[http://www.yakult.com.tw/ Taiwanese Yakult website] *[http://yakult.co.in/ Yakult India's website] *[http://www.yakulteurope.com/ European Yakult website] *[http://www.yakult.com.mx/ Mexican Yakult Website] *[http://www.yakult.co.id/ Indonesian Yakult website] *[http://www.yakult.co.jp/english/overseas/ The Yakult Business Overseas] - A reference of Yakult availability across the globe. Uses Flash animation. ==See also== *[[Korea Yakult]] *[[Kefir]] *[[Probiotic]] [[Category:Fermented foods]] [[Category:Dairy products companies]] [[Category:Japanese drinks]] [[Category:Beverage companies of Japan]] [[Category:Pharmaceutical companies of Japan]] [[de:Yakult]] [[es:Yakult]] [[eo:Yakult]] [[fr:Yakult]] [[id:Yakult]] [[nl:Yakult]] [[ja:ヤクルト本社]] [[pt:Yakult]] [[th:ยาคูลท์]] [[zh:益力多]]