Coffee that can jumpstart your day, help fight against the cold and flu and maintain a healthy digestive system? That’s the claim of a US coffee company that says it's created the world’s first probiotic java.
Food and beverage manufacturer Tipton Mills, based in Buffalo, New York, has
launched an instant coffee that contains a probiotic strain, GanedenBC30, which supposedly contains 10 times the cultures of regular probiotic yogurt and isn’t sensitive to temperature or stomach acids.
Probiotics are live microorganisms found in the human digestive tract that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system.
And while some studies have shown that supplemental probiotics can help everything from digestion, immunity, stress and oral health, the scientific jury is divided, particularly when it comes to the benefits of added probiotics in yogurt.
Last year, the Canadian division of yogurt-maker Danone settled a class action lawsuit that forced the company to soften its labeling from phrases such as "clinically proven" to "clinical studies show."
In 2009, the US subsidiary also settled a class-action lawsuit paying out $1 million to customers and likewise changed its labeling.
A pack of 36 sticks of Probiotic Instant Coffee is available online for $33.