People have long understood the link between diet, health, and wellbeing, but it was not until the late 19th and 20th centuries that science began to establish the physiological foundations of this relationship. By the 1980s, Japan had coined the term “functional foods”, products enhanced with ingredients such as fibre, antioxidants, or probiotics that provided benefits beyond basic nutrition.
According to GlobalData’s TrendSights Analysis 2025: Health & Wellness, holistic wellbeing has become a powerful global consumer driver. Across age groups, regions, and income brackets, more people are seeking foods and beverages that support physical health, emotional balance and mental vitality. This behaviour is reinforced by accessible online health information, social media discourse, and the ubiquity of wearable technology that quantifies wellbeing in real time.
Probiotics and personalised healthcare
Probiotics have become a bridge between consumer concerns, linking science-based health claims with the desire for naturalness, allowing consumers to pursue wellness without resorting to pharmaceuticals.
While the wellness trend spans all demographics, its manifestations vary by life stage, as reflected in the probiotic category. Younger consumers are motivated by fitness and energy; parents prioritise gut health and immunity for infants; and older adults focus on cognition and mobility.
Technological innovation is enhancing the formulation and delivery of probiotics. For example, microencapsulation techniques protect live cultures from heat, acidity, and shelf-life degradation, ensuring greater efficacy. These advances enable new product formats, such as shelf-stable beverages and functional confectionery, which widen accessibility and appeal. Furthermore, according to GlobalData’s Top Trends in Consumer Health 2025, the growth of “AI-guided health” and “smart fitness”, which use data and precision science to personalise wellness, means that consumers now expect their supplements or fortified foods to address their individual microbiomes, lifestyles, and health goals. The future of probiotics, therefore, lies not only in broader reach but in deeper personalisation.
Consumer demand for transparency and trust
The Top Trends in Dairy and Dairy Alternatives 2025 report highlights how the “Face to Farm” movement is transforming consumer expectations in dairy. People want to understand where their food comes from, how it is made, and whether it supports local and sustainable practices. For probiotic-enriched dairy, this means combining functional benefits with transparency of origin and production.
Innovation in probiotics is increasingly framed through the lens of traceable functionality. Brands are investing in more transparent communication around strain identity, research credentials, and manufacturing integrity, such as specifying the use of particular Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus strains with documented effects on gut and immune health.
Brands such as Morinaga Milk, whose expertise spans both dairy science and probiotic innovation, are well positioned to meet these dual demands. By linking farm-to-table trust with scientifically validated strains, Morinaga reinforces both authenticity and efficacy.
Research at the forefront of functional nutrition
Building on decades of probiotic research, Morinaga Milk continues to explore how beneficial bacteria can improve specific health outcomes across demographics. Its research aligns with the consumer imperatives driving broader food and health trends, including functionality, personalisation, and transparency.
Bifidobacterium longum BB536 and Bifidobacterium breve M-16V and Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 are among Morinaga Milk’s most extensively studied probiotic strains, recognised internationally for their safety, stability, and clinically validated benefits. BB536 has been shown to promote intestinal health and immune function, supporting overall wellbeing through balanced gut microbiota. M-16V and M-63 play a key role in infant nutrition, contributing to the healthy establishment of gut flora during early development and supporting immune maturation.
Other strains include Bifidobacterium breve B-3, which has attracted attention for its contribution to body fat reduction and metabolic balance. Meanwhile, emerging research about Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 indicates its potential to help preserve memory and executive function in older adults, offering a credible, science-led approach to healthy ageing.
Looking ahead
Probiotic innovation will continue to see deeper collaboration between science and digitalisation. For example, artificial intelligence and big-data analytics will increasingly guide product development, linking microbiome insights to individual health profiles. At the same time, sustainability will increasingly become a baseline expectation.
Future challenges and opportunities lie in maintaining scientific excellence while communicating it in an accessible way to consumers who demand both understanding and empowerment. Probiotics may have begun as a niche innovation within Japan’s pioneering functional-food movement, but today they are part of the global shift toward holistic, evidence-driven wellness.
Check Morinaga Milk’s latest white paper here:
