Biocult probiotic drink review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Biocult probiotic drink - which is Aldi’s answer to Yakult. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this fermented milk drink and how it compares to Yakult.
Biocult probiotic drink is available in Aldi stores in Australia. However, it is made in Vietnam.
Ingredients of Biocult probiotic drink
The specific ingredients of Biocult probiotic drink are water, sugar, fructose syrup, maltodextrin (corn), milk protein concentrate, milk solids, stabilisers (405, 466, 440), flavour and live probiotic culture (Lactobacillus casei).
It’s worth comparing this to Yakult which includes water, skimmed milk powder, sugar, dextrose, flavouring and live bacteria.
As you can see the ingredients are fairly similar - water, various forms of sugar, some form of milk product, flavourings and live cultures.
The main difference is that Biocult includes various stabilisers which are:
405 (Propylene glycol alginate) which is derived from algae
466 (Carboxymethyl cellulose, CMC) which is a thickener and stabiliser derived from cellulose
440 (Pectin) which is a natural fibre found in fruits, often used as a gelling agent
While all of these are generally considered safe, some studies suggest 466 or carboxymethyl cellulose may alter the gut microbiome and contribute to gut inflammation. Personally I’d prefer to avoid this if possible given it’s potential for harm.
Sugar
Biocult probiotic drink is quite high in sugar with it being 13% sugar - however this is lower than Yakult at 17.2%.
For context, Biocult has 79 calories per 100ml - which is almost double what a regular soft drink has…
A manufactured product
In contrast to other gut health products (like kefir or kombucha) which are natural, this is a seriously manufactured product with various additives.
Benefits of Biocult probiotic drink
The main benefit of this drink is the probiotics (ie live beneficial microbes) it contains. For context, we’ll compare a couple of key factors against Yakult.
Probiotics
Biocult includes the probiotic species Lactobacillus casei.
Whereas Yakult includes a proprietary strain which is Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota (aka Lactobacillus casei Shirota). This is a well researched strain which has been shown to effectively reach the gut alive.
The starkest difference between the drinks is in the actual amount of probiotic bacteria in each drink (ie colony forming units). Yakult has 100 times more probiotics than Biocult. Each bottle of Yakult contains 6.5 billion colony forming units while the same size bottle of Biocult has 65 million colony forming units.
Learn more about the benefits of probiotics.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things microbes produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Appearance
Biocult has a similar yellowy, milky appearance to Yakult which screams sweetness.
Flavour
The aroma is caramel milk with some lemony notes.
The taste is similar to Yakult - a strong milky sweetness with a lemony acidity to balance it out somewhat.
Overall, the taste is fine but it feels like you are ingesting a lot of sugar - which you are.
At the end of the day, Biocult does a good job at replicating the flavour of Yakult.
Cost of Biocult probiotic drink
You can buy a five-pack of 65ml bottles from Aldi for $3.19. For comparison, you can buy a five-pack of Yakult for $4 from Woolworths.
Biocult is therefore a very cost effective probiotic compared to other products like kefir or kombucha.
Summary
2.5 stars out of 5.
A Yakult imitation which is slightly more affordable but has more additives and less probiotics.
Pros
tastes like Yakult
some probiotics…
Cons
…but far fewer probiotics than Yakult
contains some questionable additives which Yakult doesn’t have
high in sugar - but less than Yakult
a very manufactured product compared to other fermented foods
only one strain of probiotics
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
Related articles
