Press release -
Excellence award to Chr. Hansen at HI Europe 2010
Finally the benefits of probiotics are reaching the sports industry. Chr. Hansen has received the HI Excellence Award for the probiotic strain, PCC®, supporting the immune health of athletes.
On November 16, at the opening day of the HI Europe 2010 trade fair, Chr. Hansen was awarded the prestigious Health Ingredients Excellence Award within the Sports Performance category. The HIE Awards celebrate the best innovations and companies in the ingredients community, and Chr. Hansen was selected among candidates representing some of the most innovative ingredients on the market right now.
“We are very proud to receive this prestigious award. Probiotics are today used more mainstream in yogurts and standard dietary supplements, and the benefits have not yet been reaped by the sports nutrition industry. PCC® is a probiotic strain showing effect within sports nutrition and is clinically documented in placebo-controlled studies to reduce illness in athletes after training“, comments Sune Schmoelker, Commercial Development Director, Human Health & Nutrition, Chr. Hansen.
Enhancing immune resilience
Studies have shown that intense exercise stresses the immune system of athletes and may subsequently increase the risk of illness. Immune resilience is an important factor as athletes remaining free of infections during training periods tend to perform better than those who get sick.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in competitive distance runners conducted at the Australian Institute of Sport showed that PCC® reduced the total number of days with symptoms of respiratory infections. The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2008. The Australian Institute of Sport, in conjunction with Griffith University and Chr. Hansen, has also recently conducted further investigation of PCC®. This study on 99 competitive cyclists, which has not yet been published, found that PCC® reduced symptoms of lower respiratory illness in males.
“One of the key advantages compared to medications is that PCC® being based on a lactic acid bacterium is a totally natural compound with no side effects. And fewer days of illness mean fewer involuntary breaks in the training,” states Sune Schmoelker.
L. fermentum PCC® is owned by the progressive biotech company Probiomics Ltd. in Australia and was in 2009 exclusively licensed for Chr. Hansen. PCC® is today produced and marketed globally as an innovative and clinically documented active health care ingredient for the premium section of the sports nutrition industry.
Join Chr. Hansen at stand no. R61 in Madrid – meet our experts, and be inspired by our premium probiotic and natural color solutions.
Get more information on our probiotic products at HIE here
For more information on the HIE awards, go to
hieurope.ingredientsnetwork.com/hiawards
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Chr. Hansen is a global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. The products include cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors, and all solutions are based on strong research and development competencies coupled with significant technology investments. Revenue in the 2013/14 financial year was EUR 756 million. The company holds a leading market position in all its divisions: Cultures & Enzymes, Health & Nutrition and Natural Colors. It has more than 2,500 dedicated employees in over 30 countries and main production facilities in Denmark, France, USA and Germany. Chr. Hansen was founded in 1874 and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen.
