Now this is remarkable. Biogaia of Sweden has developed a juice box straw that contains a dose of reuteri probiotic. It seems they’ve got patented technology that keeps a mini bolus of Lactobacillus reuteri suspended in the middle of the straw. When junior takes his first suck, in go 100 million viable organisms. So what? As it turns out reuteri has been shown to play a role in the prevention of diarrhea as well as decreasing the duration of diarrhea episodes in daycare centers. While the straw can’t be used for an infant, it’s Biogaia’s reuteri that that created the stir with the colic study recently published in Pediatrics.
While probiotic delivery typically doesn’t represent a major challenge with toddlers, this is an innovative way to deliver a viable, clinically efficacious probiotic.
As far as I’m aware, this hasn’t been picked up by any of the major juice manufacturers. For better or for worse, I’m thinkin’ these guys are way ahead of the curve.