The beneficial properties of microorganisms and their metabolites have been studied for centuries, along with their use as starters or biopreservatives in the manufacture of fermented foods, as well as in the formulation of traditional medicines and cosmetics.  All this was based on empirical knowledge passed down from generation to generation over the centuries. However, in early 20th century France, Stamen Grigorov and Élie Metchnikoff suggested that yogurt and its associated lactic acid bacteria could play an important role in promoting health. In Japan, Dr. Shirota was one of the most prominent pioneers in introducing lactic acid bacteria into bioactive health-promoting foods and medicine, based on scientific evidence of the beneficial properties of selected microorganisms.

Now, a century later, we have strong scientific arguments linking the beneficial properties of numerous lactic acid bacteria to various fermented foods.  Today, as we enter the next millennium, we are closer to fulfilling Hippocrates’ dream that one day our food will become medicine, and our medicine will become food.

Sharing knowledge gained from years of laboratory work and ideas about how this knowledge can be applied to improve human health is the driving force behind organizing this symposium. Yakult’s mission “to contribute to the health and happiness of every person around the world through the pursuit of excellence in life sciences and the study of microorganisms” became the inspiration for this symposium, and the International Probiotic Conferences (IPC) joined this effort to make it the most interesting and productive. We proof that working tighter we are stronger.