"Over 75 years of scientific experience."
- About Yakult
- History & Vision
That was then…
Yakult's unique story originates back in 1920s Kyoto, when young scientist Dr Minoru Shirota began studying Nobel Prize winner Elie Metchnikoff's ground-breaking theory about bacteria in the gut. Inspired by the potential benefits of lactic acid bacteria for intestinal health, Dr Shirota resolved to use this concept in a simple but practical way to help people.
This is now…
Today, 28 million Yakult products are consumed every day in 32 countries worldwide. And yet the core product has changed very little – today's Yakult still contains at least 6.5 billion active cells of the original Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain. The Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research continues to conduct research into the benefits of this strain, alongside a Yakult research centre in Belgium and hundreds of independent researchers worldwide.
Working on a healthy society
Dr Shirota firmly believed that true health consists not just of physical fitness, but also requires good mental, social and cultural wellbeing – a view he summed up in the phrase 'Working on a Healthy Society'. This philosophy shone through in the way that he set up the company, from the revolutionary Yakult Ladies system to a wide programme of corporate, cultural, academic and scientific sponsorships.
History in a bottle
After many years of painstaking research, Dr Shirota succeeded in isolating a unique strain of beneficial bacteria, robust enough to survive in the intestines. He used this strain, Lactobacillus casei Shirota, to make a fermented milk drink – and so, in 1935, the first bottle of Yakult was produced. Initially, Dr Shirota simply handed out his revolutionary new drink to patients in his surgery.
Becoming established
However, as word of the new product spread, demand surged – and in 1955, Dr Shirota set up the Yakult Honsha Company in Japan. In that same year, he established the Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research (YCIMR), which went on to continue this pioneering work, with scientists investigating the use of beneficial bacteria in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.
