Yakult ( Yakuruto) is a probiotic dairy product made by fermenting a mixture of skimmed

milk with a special strain of the bacterium Lactobacillus casei Shirota. It was created
by Japanese scientist 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 Esperanto word for "yogurt".[1] 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).[2]
After its introduction in Japan and Taiwan, Yakult was first sold in Brazil in 1966,[3] due to the large
number of Japanese immigrants in the country, before it was marketed elsewhere. Today, Yakult is
sold in 31 countries,[4] although its bacteria cultures are provided from a mother strain from Japan
regardless of production location.[citation needed]
Yakult is marketed in different sizes. In Australia and New Zealand, Europe, India, Indonesia,
and Vietnam Yakult comes in 65mL bottles. In the United States (one of Yakult's largest selling
markets), Mexico, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea, 80 ml bottles are
available. It is also available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China where Yakult comes in
100 ml bottles.[5][6][7]
The product is made by Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. ( Kabushiki-gaisha Yakuruto
Honsha) (TYO: 2267), where Groupe Danone has a 20% share. The company also owns one of
Japan's major baseball franchises, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. It has been also one of the partner
companies of the FINA World Aquatics Championships since 2005.
Nutritional value[edit]
Standard Yakult (excludes variations such as in Yakult Light) contains:[8]

Sugar (sucrose, dextrose)

Skimmed milk powder
Flavours
Live Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, 6.5 billion per 65 ml bottle (concentration of 108 CFU/mL)
Water
Standard Yakult contains 14g 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).[9] As a comparison Coca-
Cola and orange juice are around 10g of sugar per 100g, but with a serving size usually greater than
250 ml, while Yakult is served in much smaller doses. Based on the existence of many products like
Yakult in the world market and the content of milk protein (1.4 g per 100 ml),[10] it was classified as a
fermented milk named "Fermented Milk Drinks" of the Codex Standard. 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 favourable carrier because their health benefits outweigh the fact they might be
high in one of the designated 'unhealthy' ingredients.[11]
Scientific basis[edit]
According to the manufacturer's website, the benefits of Yakult consumption are supported by an
array of scientific studies.[12] Those could range from maintenance of gut flora,[13]"modulation" of
the immune system,[14] regulation of bowel habits and constipation[15] and finally effects on
some gastrointestinal infections.[16] Although the number of scientific papers is large, most of them
are based on in vitro and in vivo experiments, with some human clinical trials done on
cohorts[17][18][19] and with daily consumption of 40100 billions of probiotic L. casei Shirota,[14] far above
the single bottle concentration of approximately 6.5 billion. In 2010, an EFSA panel concluded that a
cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of Lactobacillus
casei strain Shirota and maintenance of the upper respiratory tract defence against pathogens by
maintaining immune defences.[20] In September 2014, University College London published the
results of testing using stomach fluids from pigs. The tests found that Yakult had sufficient bacteria,
but "fell short" as the bacteria were unable to survive in the stomach. Yakult responded by claiming
that independent studies had shown the bacteria do better in the human digestive system.[21] The first
Lactobacillus bacteria was originally isolated from human feces at Yakult Central Institute in Japan [22]
Production[edit]

Packs of Yakult

Yakult opened a factory in Fountain Valley, California in the United States in 2014.[23] Yakult is also
manufactured in Australia in Dandenong, Victoria.
In Malaysia, Yakult is manufactured at their factory located at Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
In the Philippines, Yakult opened a factory in Calamba, Laguna due to the drink's popularity in the
country.
Yakult is manufactured and sold in India under a 50:50 joint-venture with Danone.[24] It is
manufactured in Haryana.[25]