THE HOWARU® DIFFERENCE
MORE THAN PROBIOTIC ingredients
IFF Health offers a full microbiome health and wellness portfolio.
1,000+ IFF SCIENTISTS WITH A BIG VISION
In today’s world, people sense their body is out of balance and misaligned, but they don’t know why.
Often that sensation is not just the result of improper diet and a sedentary lifestyle. It’s a result of poor microbiome function in the gut. That’s why IFF Health collaborates with more than a 1,000 scientists to realize our vision for probiotics, prebiotics, botanicals and combo formulations driven by microbiome science and clinical research. By understanding microbiome dynamics in the gut, we have clearer insights into future innovation of new probiotic strains that make greater contributions to meeting consumers’ unique needs—and their overall health and wellbeing.
It’s a number that’s almost unbelievable: There is one microbe cell for every human cell in your body. And what is really surprising: All those micro cells are alive—and growing. They form about 0.3% of your body weight and, if massed together, would be about the size of a kidney.
Collectively, those cells are known as a “microbiota” because they live within the body but are not part of it. Because of the close connection the microbiome has with its human host, each individual person has a distinctive microbiome. It’s a unique microcelluar fingerprint that requires personalized dietary interventions when good and bad bacteria become imbalanced—a condition known as “dysbiosis.”
When properly balanced for the individual, probiotics and prebiotics can work together to enhance the microbiome. Overall health and wellness benefits include:
Regulating digestion to alleviate intestinal discomfort symptoms such as occasional constipation and diarrhea
Inhibiting harmful bacteria and suppressing the production of toxins in the intestines
Lowering blood cholesterol levels
Synthesizing vitamins within the intestines
Helping manage metabolism
Supporting the immune system
Supports brain health through the microbiota-gut-brain axis
Supporting reduction of perceived stress levels
Producing organic acids and bacteriocins, to help reduce the risk of pathogens colonization
Microbiome Innovators
HOWARU®, an IFF brand, is led by a talented innovation team with cross-functional competencies in microbiome science.
Our scientific experts are a global resource for your brand; developers of cutting edge innovation led by passion for health and wellness at every life stage.
The evolution of probiotics began in Europe. Our pride in our rich history of innovating global health and wellness is a cornerstone of our business.
MEET SEVERAL OF THE IFF HEALTH INNOVATORS LOCATED IN KANTVIK, FINLAND.
Johanna Maukonen, D.Sc. (Tech)
Global Health and Nutrition Science Leader
IFF Health
Dr. Henna-Maria Kailanto, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Early Life Health
“As a Tech Lead of Early life Nutrition Platform, my work is to innovate, design and manage studies that increase our knowledge on how infant health could be supported via microbiome modulation. This modulation can be done via products that either contain probiotics, meaning living microbes that can go through infant gastrointestinal tract alive, or prebiotics, which are food for these beneficial microbes.”
Dr. Liisa Lehtoranta, Ph.D.
R&D Manager
Intimate Health
“As part of the R&D team, we investigate beneficial good bacteria, called probiotics. We aim to understand how probiotics work in our bodies and provide health benefits, for instance, by supporting the function of the microbes within us. In my role I am especially intrigued by how probiotics could support women’s health, like how probiotics support mothers’ health in pregnancy.”
Dr. Markus Lehtinen, Ph.D. BEng
Principle Scientist
Immune Health
“I work in a team that investigates what kind of effects bacteria, tiny living creatures in our gut, have on human health. My role is to help the team to understand the effect of bacteria on the immune system, composed of tiny human cells, that fights off the bad bacteria and takes care of the good bacteria.”
Dr. Kaisa Airaksinen, Ph.D.
R&D Manager
Metabolic Health
“I am extremely happy and proud of enabling/witnessing the launch of the first yoghurt-based product in the Finnish market containing a combination of our bifidobacteria (B420™) and dietary fiber (polydextrose). This product was launched in 2020 and has been available for Finnish consumers ever since. The product is truly unique, and I have been involved in developing the science behind it for 10+ years. I took part in the very initial screening tests for the B420™ strain in our lab back in 2007.”
Dr. Arthur Ouwehand, Ph.D.
Technical Fellow
Digestive Health
“With digestive health people are usually thinking about things like bowel function and diarrhea. However, the intestine is connected to many other organ systems through hormonal, neurological and immunological pathways. Some may be aware of the gut-brain-axis. But in fact, there are many other gut-axes. Digestive health is therefore key to general health.”
HOWARU® Global locations
Our global network of regional offices and laboratories is unrivaled in the industry.
