Global probiotics market approaching $30bn by 2015: Report
Post a commentBy Shane Starling
Global Industry Analysts (GIA) predicts the global probiotics market will be worth $28.8bn by 2015, even though the market is still considered to be in infancy.
全球工业分析师预测（GIA）2015年全球益生菌市场将达到288亿，即使这样依然认为该市场还处于起步阶段。
“Enhanced efficiency of ingredient and increasing scientific evidence of the advantages ofprobiotics are the other major factors facilitating market growth,” the group wrote in‘Probiotics: A Global Strategic Business Report’.
该组织在其“益生菌：一个全球战略性商业”的报告中指出：原料功效的增强和不断增加的益生菌益处的科学证明是另外推进市场增加的主要因素。
Increasing health consciousness and a desire to engage in preventative healthcare to avoid rising healthcare costs were others factors driving probiotic growth.
健康意识的增强和希望通过预防保健来避免保健成本的上升是另外驱动益生菌市场增长的原因。
“The global H1N1 pandemic also acted as a major catalyst, boosting growth in the probiotics segment, which witnessed a minor hiccup during the economic recession. Rising healthcare awareness and the consequent gravitation towards digestive and functional foods has managed to offset the high cost disadvantage and sustain the growth momentum in the industry.”
全球H1N1大流行也成了益生菌市场快速增长的推手，成为经济衰退的大潮中逆市而升。保健意识的提升和对住消化药物和功能性食品的持续关注慢慢抵消了益生菌高价格的不利因素而使得该类产品在持续增长。
GIA noted probiotics were expanding beyond the European and Asian markets where they have traditionally been the strongest, with a particularly rapid uptake occurring in the US.
GIA指出益生菌正向传统的最强市场欧洲和亚洲之外进行扩展，正在美国市场快速崛起。
In Europe, Germany and the UK are the biggest markets – accounting for about 45 per cent of the total market.
在欧洲，德国和英国是最大的市场，占全部市场的45%。
Japan – the birthplace of probiotics – was reaching maturity, GIA said, and would demonstrate only moderate growth in coming years.
GIA说：日本是益生菌的起源地，已经是成熟市场，未来将以温和的速度增长。
Research work was continuing to improve the efficacy of probiotic ingredients and the variety of platforms in which they could be present.
研究工作正连续不断的改进益生菌配料的功效和各种应用平台。
“The increased consumption is also a result of the probiotic product being available in the form of dietary supplements and food such as baked and dairy products, which induced major players to integrate probiotics with products such as chocolates, cheese, muffins, and sausages,” the report said.
报告提到：益生菌销量增加的原因应用到膳食补充剂和食品，如焙烤和奶制品，这些食品推动主要参与者将益生菌和诸如巧克力、奶酪、松饼和香肠整合在一起。
“With further advancement in technology, probiotics usage is likely to extend beyond the current realms of gut, dental, and immune health to several other areas of human health. As consumers across the world are becoming increasingly aware of the favorable benefits of the ‘friendly’ bacteria, the market is likely to reap rich gains in coming years.”
随着科技的发展，益生菌的用途很可能从目前的改善肠道、保护牙齿、提高免疫等领域发展到其他人类健康领域。未来几年当全世界的消费者对这个友好菌逐步认识它的好处的时候，才可能代理市场的大丰收。
Consumers were also increasingly likely to pay premiums for probiotic products, GIA said.
消费者也有极有可能为益生菌产品支付额外费用，报告指出。
Despite regulatory challenges stemming from government agencies in the US and the European Union questioning the validity of some probiotic claims, probiotic scientific research remained“extensive”.
尽管有很多来自美国和欧盟政府机构对益生菌声称的正确性的挑战，但是依然有很多关于益生菌的研究。
“Probiotics are increasingly being targeted to provide relief in new areas such as inflammatory diseases, allergy prevention, cholesterol reduction and prevention of colon cancer, apart from traditional benefits that they provide in gastrointestinal problems.”
益生菌除了应用到传统的改善胃肠功能之外，正越来越多的应用到新领域，如炎症、预防过敏，降低胆固醇和预防结肠癌等。(来源：微生物农业)