According to Nielsen retail measurement data, over the past eight years, the yogurt and lactic acid bacteria beverage markets in China have continued to grow rapidly, with annual sales growth rates of 19% and 37%, respectively. Especially in the lactic acid bacteria market, sales in 2013 exceeded 5.7 billion yuan, a nine-fold increase from 2006. Compared with liquid milk and low-temperature yogurt, China's lactic acid bacteria market is in a growth phase, showing vigorous development trends.

What Are Lactic Acid Bacteria Beverages? Lactic acid bacteria beverages are made from milk or dairy products as raw materials, fermented with lactic acid bacteria to obtain a milk liquid, to which water, white sugar, acidulants, and one or more of fruit juice, tea, coffee, plant extracts, etc., are added. Simply put, in lactic acid bacteria beverages, the beverage is the carrier, and lactic acid bacteria are the protagonists.

Lactic acid bacteria are a general term for bacteria that obtain energy by fermenting carbohydrates and produce large amounts of lactic acid. Generally, bacteria with a lactic acid fermentation rate exceeding 50% are called lactic acid bacteria. Compared with yogurt, lactic acid bacteria beverages have a lower milk content but contain a higher number of lactic acid bacteria. However, lactic acid bacteria beverages are completely different from other lactic acid beverages on the market; the latter are not fermented, and the content of lactic acid bacteria and their metabolites, calcium, and protein is very low, so they cannot replace lactic acid bacteria beverages or yogurt.

What Does 10 to the 6th Power Mean? "10 to the 6th power" refers to the Chinese standard for yogurt, which stipulates that the number of lactic acid bacteria in the product must not be less than 10 to the 6th power. Only when the number of live lactic acid bacteria reaches a certain level can they reach and colonize the human intestinal tract, maintaining the microecological balance of the gut.

The intestine is the largest organ for food nutrition digestion and absorption in the human body, with detoxification and immune functions, directly related to human health. The normal human intestine harbors more than 1,000 species and 100 trillion bacteria. Microecological balance means that beneficial bacteria dominate, effectively inhibiting and resisting harmful bacteria and suppressing the production of harmful substances.

"As a superorganism, humans have not only the genetically inherited genome but also the microbiome formed by the genomic information brought by acquired symbiotic flora. Over 90% of symbiotic microorganisms live in the gut, becoming the gut microbiota, which is 10 times the number of human cells. The two genomes must coexist harmoniously to maintain human health," said Professor Zhao Liping from the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. "More and more evidence shows that chronic inflammation caused by dysbiosis leading to endotoxin entering the blood is one of the important pathogenic factors for metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes." Professor Chen Wei, Dean of the School of Food Science and Technology at Jiangnan University, stated that the latest research shows that Parkinson's disease, breast cancer, AIDS, cirrhosis, kidney disease, arthritis, diabetes, and other diseases are related to abnormal gut microbiota structure. The gut microbiota has also become a focus for scholars to explain the impact of dietary factors such as probiotics, prebiotics, and trace elements on health.

The Predicament of Lactic Acid Bacteria Beverages However, advertising slogans such as "get your intestines moving" or "300 billion active lactic acid bacteria per 100 ml" often leave consumers confused. So, while lactic acid bacteria beverages bring vitality to the market, how to make ordinary consumers understand "what's good about lactic acid bacteria" has become a major challenge that enterprises and the scientific community are striving to solve.

Compared with the huge demand for lactic acid bacteria beverages, the current market in China is still relatively small. Factors restricting the development of the lactic acid bacteria beverage market include frequent safety incidents, exaggerated advertising, and narrow taste profiles. To avoid a flash-in-the-pan fate and gain a broader market, the lactic acid bacteria beverage market needs to actively innovate products.

How Can Lactic Acid Bacteria Beverages Avoid Disadvantages and Leverage Advantages? There are two major favorable factors for China's lactic acid bacteria beverage products: First, with the development of the industry, the consumer base for lactic acid bacteria beverages has expanded from only children and adolescents to gradually include female consumers, making the consumer base more stable and growing. Second, lactic acid bacteria beverage companies have high market sensitivity, can capture changes in market demand, actively innovate products, and continuously launch different lactic acid bacteria beverage products to meet the diverse needs of consumers.

Looking at the entire lactic acid bacteria beverage market, a price war broke out in 2014 and escalated again in 2015. Lactic acid bacteria beverages have gone from high-margin products to almost no profit. Various lactic acid bacteria beverages are commonly seen on the market with special promotions, buy-one-get-one-free, or buy-two-get-one-free. Mengniu, Yili, Junlebao, and Guangming are all trying to extend product life cycles through packaging and strains, while Yakult still relies on a single packaging. Is it still necessary for those who have not yet entered to enter? How can those who have already entered extend their product life cycles to compete?

Lactic acid bacteria companies need clearer product positioning and innovation to meet market demand and the environment, which is also the key to the future development of the lactic acid bacteria beverage industry.

Source: Mingtai Mingguan

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