Morinaga Milk tackles Japan’s healthy ageing needs with functional food innovation

One of its latest launches was a fermented drink containing its flagship human-residential Bifidobacterium ​probiotic strain Bifidobacteria longum ​BB 536.

Launched in April, the fermented drink marketed under the name Puresu also contains acetic acid which is produced when fermenting whey and other ingredients with BB536.  

Said to be the first-of-its-kind product in Japan, the Food with Function Claims (FFC) comes with three functional claims, namely reducing fatigue, reducing belly fat, and improving intestinal environment.

The company showcased the product alongside its other innovations during a breakfast meeting titled “Ageing Well” held in conjunction with the Growth Asia Summit 2024 that took place in Singapore last month.

Another example showcased was an elderly milk powder that contains BB536, lactoferrin, and the postbiotic marketed as LAC-Shield – also a functional immune health ingredient produced by the company itself.

The product was designed to support the overall nutrition for the elderly and was even selected as space food due to its nutritional value.

Immune health is one of the top concerns among consumers when it comes to healthy ageing, said Saki Yamashita, assistant manager, marketing and legal support, citing market data.

“People mainly think about immunity when they are considering healthy ageing products…They think about how they can improve the immunity as this could impact the other health areas,” ​she said at the meeting.

At the same time, companies would need to identify the exact target areas when it comes to new product innovation. 

“I mentioned that immunity is a big topic but when you think about immunity, is this about boosting or protecting consumers from the cold? Immunity could include different topics and efficacy areas. ​

“And so, identifying the kinds of effects and products to innovation is important,” ​she said.

In view of swallowing difficulties, the company has also developed jellies containing the immune health ingredient LAC-shield for the elderly.

Watch the following video as Yamashita tells us more about the healthy ageing products that the company has launched in Japan, including probiotics for cognitive support.

Ageing and the changing gut microbiome ​

Pro- and postbiotics are key ingredients used in various of Morinaga Milk's products because gut microbiota changes with ageing.

For instance, there are studies showing the high prevalence of E. coli bacteraemia ​in the elderly and could lead to health implications.

A 2014 study​ reported that the majority of patients hospitalised for E. coli bacteraemia​ were over 65 years old, and that an advanced age was an independent risk factor for death from E. coli bacteraemia.​

The changing gut microbiome that comes with ageing could also impact gut health, cardiovascular health, and brain function, Dr Junichi Minami, manager of the scientific and technical sales team, international BtoB business department, said during the breakfast meeting.

However, he pointed out that this could be mitigated by modulating the gut microbiome.

This is because research has shown that some of the elderly have “younger gut microbiota”.

“We’ve found some differences in the metabolites existing in the gut of the elderly,” ​he said, adding that some of these metabolites could increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.

“Thus, by using probiotics, we can modify our gut…We can increase the diversity of our intestinal microbial and good metabolites,” ​he said.