Probiotics are live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Controlled human studies have documented positive effects of probiotics. Reduced absences from the workplace and day care have also been documented.
Probiotic-containing products are available in the U.S. in both supplement and food forms. There are, however, published accounts of commercial probiotic products not complying with label claims of content and potency. Although products are required by the FDA to be labeled in a truthful and not-misleading fashion, this is not generally enforced. Therefore, products made by reputable, science-driven companies which have tested and published the efficacy of their specific products provide the best option. Learn more about this quickly growing trend.
You will better understand:
1. Why microbes are important to human health
2. What probiotics are
3. The importance of dose, strain and matrix for delivering probiotic effects
4. What products are in the U.S. market and why they may fall short
5. Important findings of how probiotics may benefit humans
Intended Audience(s): Product Developers, Management, Sales & Marketing, Research Staff, Regulators, Academics, Students Learning Level(s): Introductory / Intermediate Member Registration Fee: $55 Presentation Date: 12/12/09 12:00 AM
Dr Mary Ellen Sanders Consultant Dairy & Food Culture Tech
Mary Ellen Sanders is an internationally recognized consultant in the area of probiotic microbiology. She helps food and supplement companies develop new probiotic products and provides technical support for enhancing existing probiotic product lines. She works with non-profit organizations to develop strategies for research and market development for probiotic products. She has extensively reviewed the technical literature on probiotics, published on the science and marketing of probiotic bacteria, coordinated clinical studies to validate probiotic efficacy, updated the FDA on the topic of probiotics, served on GRAS determination panels, participated in a working group convened by the FAO/WHO to make recommendations to Codex for guidelines for use of probiotics, and serves on the Product Quality Working Group of the NIH National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Dr. Sanders received her B.S. in Food Science at University of California at Davis, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science with an emphasis in microbiology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Dr. Sanders is the Executive Director of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP.net). She has years of experience in probiotics and is an accomplished author in this field. Dr. Sanders hosts a website along with the California Dairy Research Foundation which provides objective, evidence-based information on probiotics for consumers and professionals www.usprobiotics.org. Dr. Sanders does not currently operate a research laboratory. Her past research efforts have focused on strain development of lactic acid bacteria with a primary emphasis on genetic improvement of starter cultures as a scientist in the Biotechnology Group of Miles Laboratories and in vitro characterization and identification of probiotic lactobacilli and bifidobacteria for commercial applications, evaluation of the effect of probiotics on fecal microecology and tracking specific probiotics through the gastrointestinal tract as a visiting Research Scientist at the Dairy Products Technology Center at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Dr Roger A Clemens CFS
Dr. Roger A. Clemens is Chief Scientific Officer for Horn (aka E.T. Horn Company). He also serves as Regulatory Science faculty and adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences within the USC School of Pharmacy. He was the Scientific Advisor for Nestlé USA for more than 21 years. He has published more than 50 original manuscripts in nutrition and food science, participated in more than 250 invited domestic and international lectures, served as an expert panel member for the food industry, scientific organizations, trade associations and regulatory agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe, and provided more than 500 media interviews on food science, nutrition and health. Dr. Clemens is IFT's immediate past-president (2012-2013), professional member of and Fellow in the Institute. He is a former leader in IFT at local (Chair, Southern California IFT), division (Chair, Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division and Nutrition Division) and national (Chair, Nominations & Elections Committee) levels.Dr. Clemens was a member of the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and member of the American Dietetic Association's Committee on Dietetic Registration (CDR). He currently serves on the USP expert committee on food ingredients.