1930 wählte der Wissenschaftler Dr. Shirota die später nach ihm benannte einzigartige Milchsäurekultur Lactobacillus casei Shirota aus. Bereits fünf Jahre später machte er sie den Menschen zugänglich, denn nach eingehenden Studien entwickelte er 1935 das Getränk Yakult. Heute, 85 Jahre später, trinken Millionen Menschen in 40 Ländern weltweit Yakult.
1930 wählte der Wissenschaftler Dr. Shirota die später nach ihm benannte einzigartige Milchsäurekultur Lactobacillus casei Shirota aus. Bereits fünf Jahre später machte er sie den Menschen zugänglich, denn nach eingehenden Studien entwickelte er 1935 das Getränk Yakult. Heute, 85 Jahre später, trinken Millionen Menschen in 40 Ländern weltweit Yakult.
Die Vision des Yakult Gründers Dr. Minoru Shirota war es die Shirota Milchsäurebakterien allen Menschen zugänglich zu machen. 1935 war er seiner Vision einen großen Schritt näher gekommen: er hatte das Getränk Yakult entwickelt. Als kosmopolitischer Denker wählte er den Namen in Anlehnung an das Esperanto-Wort „Yahurto“ (Joghurt).
So wurde Shirotas Vision Wirklichkeit. Langjährige intensive Forschungstätigkeit ist die Grundlage der Kompetenz von Yakult. Schließlich gründete er 1955 in Tokio das Unternehmen Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. zur Herstellung und zum Vertrieb von Yakult. Zum gleichen Zeitpunkt richtete der Wissenschaftler in Kyoto ein Forschungsinstitut ein. Seit 1967 befindet sich das Yakult Forschungsinstitut in Tokio. Im Jahr 2005 hat Yakult erstmalig auch in Europa ein Forschungsinstitut etabliert: in Gent, Belgien.
Entdecke unseren Film zur Geschichte von Yakult und werfe einen Blick hinter die Kulissen der Produktion.
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Yes, fermentation can improve the nutritional content of foods in many ways. Here we explain you how citing tempeh as an example:
Yes, this could be possible. If what you eat contains live microbes, gas or bloating are part of the most reported side effects, although these are quite harmless. Experiencing this kind of discomfort also depends on the amount of fermented foods you are starting with. Enjoy small amounts and allow your gut to go through an adjustment period. Some people do not have problems, others do. When trying to find the source of bloating, it is also important to bear in mind that consuming other, non-fermented foods can also be undigestible to your body, like lactose, and can also be a common source of bloating. Your dietician may help you for sure with your detective work to find the cause and … the solution.
Not really again. Let’s take fermented milk as an example. Lactic acid-producing bacteria grow on the sugars and other nutrients in milk. As they multiply, the bacteria produce compounds that change the flavour, texture, and yield nutrients in a wide range of products including e.g. cheese or yogurt. Many yogurts, but not all, contain bacteria that when consumed can reach the gut alive. When this happens, these bacteria can have an impact on our health as validated by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). In a scientific opinion, EFSA’s panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies agreed that yogurt containing at least 108 living cells/g starter cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus improve the digestion of lactose in people with lactose maldigestion
Not really. To produce fermented foods, ingredients must undergo a transformation process mediated by microbes, either naturally or through the addition of a starter culture. However, some products may afterwards be treated (pasteurized, baked, or filtered) in a way that ultimately kills/removes any live microbes before we consume them. For example, sourdough. When the dough is used to make bread it will be baked and this exposure to heat will kill the microbes. As well, some fermented vegetables are packaged in jars and may be heat treated as a means of extending its shelf life, or simply to stop the fermentation. Finally, when you prepare e.g. sauerkraut in your kitchen, you probably will be heating it, so you will also kill or inactivate the bacteria.
It may not always be the case for some fermented products to be treated. For those, a very high number of live bacteria will be present at the end of the fermentation.
Yes and no. First of all, let’s recap about what a starter culture is. This is a preparation containing a high concentration of desired microorganisms that will start and assist a fermentation by making specific chemical, smell and taste changes. Thus, the process becomes efficient, controllable, predictable and… safe!
Fermented foods were born as “happy accidents” when in the early times suddenly “spoiled” food turned long-lasting and pleasant-tasting. Such accidents were possible thanks to spontaneous or natural fermentation, an event in which you only rely on the microbes present in the environment or the food to colonize the raw materials. If you opt to go for this kind of fermentation, be aware of the risk of contamination. You should take extra care about many aspects such as: acidity, oxygen, temperature, moulds, etc. By not having a proper control over the fermentation, it is possible that you may have an outgrowth of non-friendly microbes in your food. These can produce off-flavours or even toxic compounds that can put your health in danger.
Using a starter is not a must but as you can see, it definitely gives you many advantages. This includes a fast acid formation that makes the development of non-desired bacteria much more difficult. What is also important is that, in principle, the quality of commercial starters is checked and you can get information if the microbes present can produce potential compounds that could lead to unpleasant effects including headache, diarrhoea, etc.
