Download Bacterial Colonies in three Different Brands of Yogurt

Bacterial Colonies in
three Different
Brands of Yogurt
Morgan Ashley and Gavrielle Filanova
What are probiotics?
• Gram positive bacteria included primarily in two genera:
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium
• “Live microorganisms which when administered
in adequate amounts confer a health benefit
on the host” -World Health Organization
• Eli Metchnikoff, the Russian born Nobel Prize
recipient (1908) working at the Pasteur Institute
was the first to observe the positive role played
by some selected bacteria
• "The dependence of the intestinal microbes on
the food makes it possible to adopt measures
to modify the flora in our bodies and to replace
the harmful microbes by useful microbes" –Eli Metchnikoff
Probiotics in Food
• For use in foods, probiotic
microorganisms should:
• Be capable of surviving passage through
the digestive tract & have the capability
to proliferate in the gut
• This means they must be resistant to
gastric juices and be able to grow in the
presence of bile & under conditions in
the intestines
OR
• Be consumed in a food vehicle that
allows them to survive passage through
the stomach and exposure to bile.
Health benefits of probiotics
• Probiotics play very important
roles in regulating proper intestinal
function and digestion by balancing
intestinal microflora
• Current probiotic research is being
conducted on on the gut microbiome’s
implications on digestion, immunity, brain function, and
restoration of healthy gut bacteria depleted by antibiotics
• Infants and children with viral gastroenteritis seem to
derive the most benefit from probiotics
Who here consumes yogurt?
What factors do you consider when purchasing yogurt?
• Price?
• Advertisement of quality & health benefits?
(protein & probiotic content)
• Brand names?
Do you get what you pay for?
Pros
Cons
The more expensive
name brand
Name brands and
advertisements indicate
that it must be of higher
quality, and therefore
confer more health
benefits
More expensive
The less expensive store
brand
The lower price indicates Less expensive
that it may be of lower
quality, and may not
confer the same health
benefits
Our Question & Hypothesis
• Q= Is there a difference in bacteria counts between three
different brands of yogurt?
• H- There will be a difference in the number/ density of
bacteria between three different yogurt brands.
The Three Brands
• 1= Activia
• 2= Price Chopper
(generic brand)
• 3= Chobani
The Experiment: Materials
• 15 Agar plates were poured
• Divided into 3 groups; 5 plates for each yogurt brand
• Three 99 mL bottles of distilled water
• 0.01 mL of each brand of yogurt
The Experiment: Methods
• 0.01mL of each yogurt was pipetted into 99mLs distilled water
• The glass bottles of diluted yogurt were shaken well
The Experiment: Methods
• 0.1mL of diluted yogurt was pipetted onto each agar plate and
spread throughout using an “L” shaped glass cell spreader
• In between each transfer of diluted yogurt, the glass cell
spreader was sterilized using acetone and a flame
The Experiment: Methods
• The plates were incubated at 25°C for 5 days
• The CFUs were counted using a counting pen
Results
Source
df
F
2
Sig.
17.1
Partial Eta Squared
0.001
.773
Yogurt
12
Corrected Total
The o.oo1 significance indicates that there is a significant difference between the brands of yogurt, and the odds
that our findings occurred by change are very low.
Table 4. Tukey post hoc Analysis of Yogurts
(I) Yogurt
(J) Yogurt
Mean Difference
Std. Error
95% Confidence Interval
(I-J)
Lower Bound
Activia
PC Generic Brand
Chiobani
PC Generic Brand
Activia
Chiobani
Chiobani
PC Generic Brand
Upper Bound
608.4000*
111.16546
.001
303.6627
913.1373
50.6000
96.27211
.861
-213.3103
314.5103
-608.4000*
111.16546
.001
-913.1373
-303.6627
-557.8000*
111.16546
.001
-862.5373
-253.0627
-50.6000
96.27211
.861
-314.5103
213.3103
Colony Forming Units of Bacteria in Activia,
Price Chopper Brand, and Chobani Yogurt
Conclusions
• Statistically significant differences in CFUs include the
differences between: Activia vs. Chobani & Activia vs.
Price Chopper Brand
• The difference in CFUs between Price Chopper Brand vs.
Chobani was not found the be statistically significant
• Activia was found to have the lowest bacteria count
• Price Chopper brand was found to have the highest
bacteria count
You may not always get what you pay for!
• Activia price: ___ oz yogurt costs – cost per oz
• Chobani price: ___ oz of yogut costs – cost per oz
• Price Chopper brand price: __ oz of yogurt costs – cost per oz
Activia Lawsuit
• In February, 2010 a class action settlement
reached in federal court ruled that Dannon
must pay consumers up to $45 million in
damages for exaggerated health claims
• Under terms of the settlement, Dannon must
remove the words "clinically" and "scientifically proven" from
product labels and advertisements of Activia yogurt
• In their place, the words "clinical studies show," or something
similar, must be substituted.
• "This was a disingenuous advertising campaign that promised
something that hasn't been proven," Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa,, a
gastroenterologist, told ABC News.
• "Dannon stands by its advertising and denies it did anything
wrong.”
References
• World Health Organization &Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations. Report of a joint fao/who
expert consultation on evaluation of health and nutritional
properties of probiotics in food including powder milk with
live lactic acid bacteria. (2001, October). Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/fs_management
/en/probiotics.pdf
• McMullen, T. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/dannon-settleslawsuit/story?id=9950269