Health/Nutrition: New Organic Probiotic Cheese

Leading organic dairy producer chooses probiotic ingredient, GanedenBC30, to power organic probiotic cheese.

Next Generation Organic Dairy, a Wisconsin dairy that makes cheeses made only with certified organic raw milk, today announced the introduction of a new line of gourmet, probiotic-fortified cheese and cheese sticks.

The new line of probiotic cheeses was inspired by the growing body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of probiotics in a wide variety of health conditions and growing consumer interest and demand for probiotic food alternatives for refrigerated yogurts. The cheese and cheese sticks will make there debut at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin from September 30th - October 4th in the Normande Cattle Pavilion at the Next Generation Dairy booth. Full distribution of the cheese will begin December 2008, in six delicious flavors, and will come packaged in eight ounce packs, six individually wrapped 1-ounce sticks or single sticks.

The process for making the new probiotic cheese starts with the same low temperature as Next Generation's other organic raw milk cheeses not exceeding 102°F. The probiotic ingredient, GanedenBC30, strain of Bacillus coagulans is added after the cheese curd has formed and after the whey has been drained. Since no heat is added to the cheese blend when GanedenBC30 is put into the mix it allows the cheese to obtain the best amount of survivability of the probiotic. High temperature processes used by other dairies to kill potential pathogens also destroy the important digestive enzymes in cheese. Next Generation ages their cheeses a minimum of 60 days according to FDA regulation on raw milk cheese. This 60 day aging process allows the pH in the cheese to be lowered naturally, killing any potential pathogens.

GanedenBC30 probiotic overcomes the shortcomings of other commonly used probiotics in that it easily withstands industrial food manufacturing, extreme temperatures, and product shelf life. Other probiotic strains are highly sensitive to these demands.

Additionally, GanedenBC30 can grow in both the small and large intestines, which is important in carbohydrate digestion. When undigested carbohydrates make their way to the large intestine, they can ferment and cause or exacerbate a number of digestive disorders. Some probiotics, like bifidobacteria, can only grow in the large intestine. Ganeden Biotech the manufacturer of GanedenBC30's CEO Andy Lefkowitz comments, "Consumers want to know that when they are choosing a probiotic food product that there are enough live cells and that those cells are going to provide benefits. GanedenBC30 is superior to other probiotics not only in terms of its survivability before it is consumed but also in that it can survive and thrive where it can do the most good once in the body."

The new probiotic cheese is an example of the philosophy at Next Generation Organic Dairy to make high quality, high nutrition products even better. President Steve Pechacek said that, "People already love our cheeses because they taste so good, use only certified organic raw milk, and preserve all the wonderful enzymes that are normally destroyed by other manufacturing processes; but we always ask ourselves how we can make our product even better? There aren't many probiotic cheeses on the market, and the ones that do exist use probiotics that have a tough time surviving. We think that adding GanedenBC30 really makes our probiotic cheese the best."

The Fall 2008 launch debuts six flavors: Colby, Cheddar, Parsley Cheddar, Garlic Parsley Cheddar, Caribbean Cheddar and Cilantro Roasted Garlic Cheddar.

Pechacek said that people who are lactose intolerant find Next Generation Organic Dairy cheeses completely different from other cheeses and explained that, "High temperature processes literally cooks lactose, and that's what leads to problems. Lactose intolerant people tell us that they never have problems eating our cheeses."

The refrigerated yogurt category has gotten a tremendous boost from the new probiotic products introduced over the past few years. Consumers are now much more aware of the benefits of probiotics and are looking for other ways of getting them into the daily diet. These new cheeses are positioned to fill that role and stimulate the cheese category.

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