Mengniu steps up clinical studies on flagship probiotic strain used in yogurt range

By doing so, the company hopes to revive the concept of yogurt as a nutritious and healthy food, as the dairy product is increasingly designed and consumed as a snack in China these days.

Isolated from naturally fermented yak milk in Lhasa, Tibet, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei​ PC-01 has shown benefits for improving digestion and supressing bacteria causing oral diseases.

Primary results from a 28-day study showed that healthy adults suffering from ingestion, including bloating, upper abdominal pain, and heartburn, have reported improvements in these symptoms after taking two bottles of yogurt containing a total of 100bn CFU of PC-01 daily.

The study, involving over 1,000 participants, is still ongoing.  

Dr Wendy Yang, senior scientist at Mengniu Dairy presented the above while speaking at a probiotics forum co-organised by Shanghai Society of Food Science’s lactic acid bacteria and kids nutrition committee and Informa at Hi & Fi Asia-China tradeshow held in Shanghai between June 19 and 21.

Mengniu Dairy has applied PC-01 to various yogurt products under its Yoyi C (优益C) brand, as well as solid beverages sold as general foods. 

The company has also stepped up its human clinical trial efforts for PC-01 in the past one to two years.  

In 2022, it kickstarted a study on PC-01’s anti-allergy effects and another study on its benefits for indigestion last year.

Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, ​Dr Yang said the trials were meant to show that yogurt was a good medium for nutrition – in this case, probiotics.

She pointed out that yogurt was traditionally designed and consumed as a nutritional food product, but these days, it has been increasingly perceived as a snack.

“The concept of yogurt was first developed as a product for improving digestive health. ​

“However, based on what we are seeing from consumer behaviour and analysing the types of products that different yogurt manufacturers are producing, we see that yogurt is perceived more as a snack,” ​Dr Yang said.

She pointed out that yogurt R&D has focused on new flavours, new sensory experience, or low sugar, low fat options.

Through its research and new product development efforts, the company hopes that the use of yogurt could “return to its roots”, ​where its health benefits in gut health and potentially other areas such as cardiovascular health, are highlighted.  

“As a food company, we do not need to conduct so many clinical trials on our products, because the products are after all general foods. What we need to do is to develop products that are tasty, fun, and liked by consumers. ​

“However, from the perspective of R&D, we still hope to develop products with consumer health in mind. This is especially because yogurt is traditionally designed to support human health and we hope to return to its roots, instead of simply adding in perhaps cereal puffs or other things to make it more interesting. ​

“Doing so is simply giving consumers a different sensory experience but it is not bringing real health benefits to the consumers.”​

So far, PC-01 has received four patent licensing.

Dr Yang added that PC-01 has been awarded with several accolades, including second prize at the State Science and Technology Awards 2023​, where results were announced in on June 24, as well as the silver prize in the 24^th​ China Patent Awards​ last year.

For future studies, Dr Yang said that there were plans to study PC-01’s benefits for indigestion among children, since this was a common problem seen in kids.

Other potential benefits and NPD​

The strain PC-01 has shown potential for regulating blood sugar levels, cardiovascular health, and oral health, based on results from whole genome sequencing.

“Based on whole genome sequencing, we found that PC-01 potentially possesses anti-oxidative properties, as well as lowering blood sugar, blood lipids, and regulating the immunity,”​ said Dr Yang.

These are directions for future research and new product innovation, where the strain could be formulated with other functional ingredients for supporting gut, brain, and cardiovascular health.

This is one way how Mengniu hopes to differentiate itself from the ongoing trend where innovation in the yogurt category mainly involved new flavours, low sugar, and low-fat options.

Aside from different health benefits, there are also plans for innovation in dosage formats.  

Gummies is an example that the company is interested in, especially when it comes to innovating for kids.

Other possibilities include milk powder, on top of the existing solid beverage and yogurt products.

The new dosage formats would likely surround food and beverage, in line with the company’s core business and expertise in this area.