"Over 28 million Yakult products are consumed every day."
- About Yakult
- What is Yakult
What's in a Yakult?
One bottle contains a minimum of 6.5 billion cells of the unique strain of bacteria isolated by Dr Shirota. The strain is scientifically proven to reach the gut alive. There are absolutely no colourings whatsoever in Yakult. Its colour is a natural result of caramelisation during the production process.
Red or blue?
Today, there are two different types of Yakult available in the UK; the original version (in the red packaging) and Yakult Light (in the blue packaging). The Light version contains less sugar – but other than that they are essentially the same – and, most importantly, both are guaranteed to contain at least 6.5 billion bacteria per bottle.
Bacteria in the digestive system
Yakult's natural home is in the digestive system – along with the 100 trillion bacteria (the 'gut flora') already residing there. Since the digestive system is the location for most of the body's immune system, it's important that a healthy balance of bacteria is maintained there.
What's in a name?
When he developed Yakult back in 1935, Dr Shirota was keen to emphasise the global importance of good digestive health, and so chose the word 'Yakult' from the 'universal language' of Esperanto. The word actually means 'yoghurt' – but Yakult is not a yoghurt; it is a fermented skimmed milk drink. Both the company and the drink are called 'Yakult'.
But what exactly does 'Lactobacillus casei Shirota' mean? The strain name is broken down as follows:
Lactobacillus (genus): Made up of two Latin words: lacto meaning milk, and bacillus meaning small rod. Lactobacilli are small rod-shaped bacteria, often found in dairy products.
casei (species): Latin for 'cheese', reflecting the association of this species with fermented dairy products.
Shirota (strain): Named after Yakult's founder Dr Shirota.
