“ intestinal flora” is the most concerned topic for health market in Japan. Probioics market grow gradually and has already formed the mania for probiotics.What has caused he mania is the sales growth of yogurt which contains live bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria，and Bactericidal lactic acid bacteria（dead bacteria）was a booster of probiotics market development.
Bactericidal lactic acid bacteria,as a dietary supplement,has gained noticeable market share in the past.In recent years,it has been widely added in common food such as snacks and instant noodles, and has appeared in menus of some chain restaurants.
Bactericidal lactic acid bacteria is characterized by its stable quality and production convenience.Its function and accumulating research proofs has been gradually accepted by the market.Especially that its  immunoactivating effect has drawn high attention of consumers. Related food products with functions such as Anti-allergy, Anti-fatigue, Anti avian flu, and etc.is being developed continuously.
 
Features and Advantages of Sterilized Lactobacillus Beverages
 
*After Lactic acid bacteria culture, by heat sterilization the bacteria can be highly concentrated, and the number of bacteria per gram will increase significantly. (active bacteria density of 100 billion / g is said to have been the limit of technology, and that of sterilized lactic acid bacteria can reach 7 trillion / g)
* Thus a small amount of addition can result in taking in much more bacteria
* Because of the sterilization treatment, pollution control can be minimized without worrying about contamination in food plants.
* Shelflife can be extended to 2 years - a longer shelflife than living bacteria
* Basically there is no restriction on the preparation, and can be added in almost all foods. In particular, it can be added in foods with high water activity and heating processes.
 
Raw materials enterprises vigorously promote and the supply increased
Bactericidal lactic acid bacteria,as the name suggests, is the lactic acid bacteria after heat sterilized treatment.The promotions were mostly focused on the concept " still alive in the small intestine"hence in consumers’ minds the concept "lactic acid bacteria must be alive" is deep-rooted, but the sterilized lactic acid bacteria is not non-functional.
In fact, the usefulness of bactericidal lactic acid bacteria (dead bacteria) was demonstrated 100 years ago. Russian microbiologist Mechnikov had proved health effect of lactic acid bacteria.He proposed that human aging is due to production of corrupt substances caused by harmful bacteria in the intestines,and eating yogurt can reduce the harmful bacteria ,thus is the secret of longevity.
An article called"longevity health"published in 1907 mentioned that lactic acid bacteria in yogurt have the role of inhibiting proliferation of intestinal bacteria. This have started boom of research of lactic acid bacteria,and the study of bactericidal lactic acid bacteria began. Certain literature showed that life span of the mice fed with food containing heat sterilized lactic acid bacteria was extended by 8%.
At that time studies were seen about the usefulness of bactericidal lactic acid bacteria. In the modern lactic acid bacteria market, the function of probiotics had been clear, making the aforementioned "lactic acid bacteria must be alive" concept widely accepted by the market.
In the current market, improving intestinal flora has become a hot topic, yogurt containing lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria has explosive growth in sales.On the other hand, dietary supplements, beverages, snacks, cooked food, semi-finished food and other common food  added with dead bacteria are also lauched in a large number. The main reason is the convenience of the application of dead bacteria, as well as the rich evidence which has been widely accepted.
 
In Japan, veteran manufacturers such as Combi, BERUMU, Broma Institute etc.had already started functional research of fecal enterococcus ,continued to release the latest research information,and carried out promotional activities.They have established the basis of sterilized lactic acid bacteria market. In addition, IHM, kameda
 Pharm and etc. have become the major suppliers of plant lactic acid bacteria. KITII and other companies also had thorough functional research in the fields such as oral health.And with growing market awareness, sterilization lactic acid bacteria market has been formed. In fact, Japan's dairy manufacturing giant Morinaga had been making efforts to explore probiotics market and also participated in the business of sterilized lactic acid bacteria,which is one of the main contributions to the formation of a mature market.
 
It is better to say that we have entered the era of judging the usefulness of bacteria by the effects of the culture, the strain, and the state of the bacteria.

Reduce visceral fat, anti-allergic, anti- H. pylori and other research progress
With the increasing demand for bactericidal lactic acid bacteria, raw material suppliers are enriching their research data of each function direction. A COMBI’s brand "EC-12" has so far accumulated research data of improving intestinal bacterial flora, improving constipation, reducing visceral fat, improving allergic derma,body defense, promote avian flu treatment, improve acne and other. COMBI has recently published a paper with improving Japanese women's intestinal environment as the title. The company is also developing and selling the industry's only Bacteroides Bactus "BR-108", which also has effect of improving intestinal flora, improving constipation, inhibiting hay fever, promoting NK cell activation, and the latest research results have confirmed the effect of inhibiting avian flu bacteria. COMBI had been heavily invested in the research.
BERUMU,with more than 30 years of research and development,has developed the Enterococcus faecalis "EF-2001" which is confirmed to have the effects of anti-allergy, improving ulcerative colitis,etc.The company has recently published in the Asian Lactobacillus Society a paper titled as improving effect on Ulcerative colitis by experiment on mice.
Broma Institute had engaged in lactic acid bacteria research since the beginning of Japan’s bactericidal lactic acid bacteria market,and had developed "nanoECF" using enterococcus faecal. With the immune effect as an indicator, they focus on the development of number of bacteria and the efficiency of bioavailability.It is already proved in human trials to have improving effect on intestinal flora.
Snowden,a research company of lactic acid bacteria raw materials for stomach health, verified the effect of anti-H.pylori in the experiment conducted with the independent raw material "Lactobacillus LJ88". In addition to confirmation that in vitro and in vivo is to play the anti-Helicobacter pylori activity, the H. pylori and Lactobacillus LJ88 fungicidal mixture showed no synergistic agglutination reaction but destruction effect to Helicobacter pylori. Previous studies on Helicobacter pylori were conducted by experiments with viable bacteria. The company confirmed the results of the data by dead bacteria experiments. In terms of the principle of action, it was not the "synergistic agglutination" in the previous report.Based on dead bacteria,it is further speculated that secretion of lactic acid and other liquid factor is different,may be related to the molecules and their structures on the surface of LJ88 cells. And the company is currently actively studying the mechanism of action of dead bacteria itself.
IHM, which works with plant lactic acid bacterium, has confirmed the effect of"inhibit the inflammation of colitis and reduce the effect of mucosal injury" for its product"phyto-nano-lactic acid bacteria SNK". The company as a differentiated propaganda with others, and is actively carrying out market education.

Functional label food market of dead bacteria is worthy of expectation
In April of this year, Asahi Drinks marketed a functional claim food product named"KARADA" (registration number B20) with lactic acid bacteria CP1563 strain as a functional ingredient. With functional publicity "has the function of reducing body fat", marketing activities had been launched. In the past, health food and functional label food added with lactic acid bacteria majorly aims at market of intestines health.Snow Brand’s functional label food“惠 megumi lactobacillus gasseri sp strains yogurt" (registration number A46, A47)which is added with active lactic bacteria and promoted as reducing fat,had harvested 7 times growth of market.
Asahi drink is the first marketer of non-intestine functional label food adding sterilized lactic acid bacteria.Its sale in future worth much of attention.
Some other manufacturers are also preparing to apply for such food product.The market of functional label food adding sterilized lactic acid bacteria is highly promising.

来源：南方日报