YAKULT (MALAYSIA) Sdn.

Bhd



1.0 Introduction
The Yakult cultured milk drink in Malaysia is proudly Malaysian made, from
the finest selected ingredients. Although Yakult has enjoyed 70 years of
successfully promoting better health overseas, it is a new product to Malaysia.
Yakult (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. commenced production in February 2004 and is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Yakult Honsha (J apan). Yakult has committed
millions of ringgit to establish and operate its Malaysian manufacturing
operations in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan and head office in Glenmarie, Shah
Alam, respectively. The product that is marketed in Malaysia is Yakult Ace, an
improved version of the standard Yakult cultured milk drink available in other
countries worldwide. Yakult Ace has a higher concentration of the probiotics
Lactobacillus casei Shirota and added nutrients: calcium, niacin and vitamins
B6, B12 and D. Yakult (M) Sdn. Bhd. currently employs over 88 people
throughout Malaysia. Our employees include production workers, sales
consultants, customer service officers, administrative staff, managers and
human resource personnel.

2.0 History
The man behind the founding of Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd was Dr.
Minoru Shirota. He began developing Yakult in 1930 while he was with the
Microbiology Department at Kyoto Imperial University's School of Medicine.
Dr. Shirota believed that rather than curing a disease, it was much better to build
a strong body that was able to resist the disease. He turned his attention to the
study of microorganisms due to his strong belief that a type of bacteria- lactic
acid bacteria is capable of contributing to our health. Dr Shirota's objective was
to isolate a beneficial bacterium that would be able to survive through our
stomach and bile acids to arrive alive in our intestines. There it would assist the
functioning of our digestive system. Subsequently, he discovered that
lactobacilli could also destroy harmful bacteria that live in our intestines.
Excited by this finding, he conducted an exhaustive investigation of lactobacilli,
whereupon he discovered a new strain of bacteria. Early Yakult bottle This
strain of bacteria - Lactobacillus casei, was found to be the most acid and bile
resistant and was subsequently named Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain in
honor of Dr Shirota's research. It was the discovery of this bacterium that led to
the birth of Yakult. In 1935, Dr. Shirota started distributing Yakult from his
clinic. For the next 20 years, Yakult was produced and marketed all over J apan
by a number of independent operators. Finally, in 1955, Dr Shirota founded his
own company, Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd., consolidating his business by taking
control of all the operations. His business plan had an overriding business
objective: to promote health and bring happiness. The Yakult headquarters in
Tokyo, J apan. Today, Yakult is available in 28 countries and is consumed by
more than 20 million people every day worldwide.

3.0 Product and Services
The Yakult that we drink in Malaysia is produced from high quality,
carefully selected ingredients and packaged in our modern state-of-the-art
factory in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The bacteria come from the mother
culture in J apan. The local plant maintains the highest quality standards
throughout the process, equivalent to the Yakult manufacturing plants in J apan.
In the Yakult factory, a lot of attention is paid to the two-way communication
with the consumer. People who are interested can get information in the factory,
and moreover, this is unique as they can follow the whole production process
from a lobby on the first floor. The walls are made of glass, which makes every
step of the production process clearly visible. This shows the open character and
the clear structure of the company. During factory visits a tour is given by one
of the Yakult employees after an introductory presentation about the company
and the product. You too can visit the Yakult factory! J ust contact us and we
will arrange a tour for you, your family and friends.

4.0 Culture and Values
Yakult's greatest goal is to bring healthy smiles to faces everywhere.
The global corporate philosophy of the Yakult Group is : "To contribute to the
health and happiness of people around the world through the pursuit of
excellence in life sciences in general and our expertise in microbiological
research in particular. "

5.0 Making Yakult
5.1 Mixing of Raw Ingredients
Live Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain is cultured in a 'seed tank' in our
laboratory. Skim milk powder is mixed with sugar, glucose and filtered,
sterilised water to make a sweet milky solution.

5.2 Sterilisation
The sweet, milky solution is sterilised at a high temperature for a short time,
destroying any bacteria that may be present. The solution is then transferred to a
6,500-litre culture tank via a closed system of pipes and valves.

5.3 Culture Tank
The temperature of the tank is reduced to 37C and live Lactobacillus casei
Shirota strain is added. The solution is allowed to ferment for about one week
until the number of Lactobacillus casei bacteria reaches an ideal concentration.

5.4 Mixing and Storage Tank
The concentrate is transferred to a 12,000-litre mixing and storage tank. The
tank is chilled to around 2 C. Sterilised flavours, syrup solution, vitamins and
calcium are added to the concentrate. Prior to bottling, the concentrate is diluted
with filtered, sterile water.

5.5 Injection Blow Moulding Machine
The plastic bottles are produced on site. The bottles are made from polystyrene.

5.6 Bottling and Packaging
The bottles are wrapped with individual bottle labels. Then, they are filled with
Yakult, capped with a foil lid, sealed and transferred along the conveyor belt to
the packaging facility. Single bottles of Yakult are sorted into groups of five and
shrink-wrapped in polypropylene film. Ten "5-packs" are grouped together and
wrapped again in polyethylene film and then heat shrunk, forming a 'carton' of
50 Yakult bottles.

5.7 Refrigeration Room
Finished products are kept refrigerated before delivery to stores.

5.8 Yakult Quality Assurance
Yakult maintains a comprehensive quality assurance program in order to ensure
that our product is of the highest quality. For this reason, samples are collected
for laboratory analysis throughout the production process to confirm that the
quality assurance measures in place have been effective.
The testing involves more than 150 samples per production run, upon
which a total of more than 200 tests are conducted. These determine
Lactobacillus casei numbers, check for potential contaminants, microbiological
quality, composition, acidity, physical attributes and taste. In addition, each
bottle is inspected for undesirable markings and incorrect printing.
Quality assurance measures are in place to maintain standards for
personnel and factory hygiene, equipment cleaning, processing methods and
parameters, and product handling. Yakult's quality assurance utilizes a system
called "Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points" (HACCP). The principles
of HACCP are internationally recognised as an excellent method for assuring
stringently high standards.

9. Waste Management
Cleaning - Yakult adheres to a comprehensive hygiene and sanitation program,
following a cleaning program that is predominantly governed by CIP (Cleaning
in Place). Steam, an environmentally friendly cleaner, is used to sterilize the
pipes and tanks. A single phase chemical cleaner is used, reducing the numbers
of chemicals introduced into the drains. Chlorine based chemicals are not used.

Solid wastes - The amount of solid waste is relatively small.

Liquid wastes - Any liquid waste goes into a holding tank in our water treatment
facility. The acidity (pH) of the water is adjusted with acid or alkaline before
being released into the sewage system.














REFERENCE

Yakult. 2010. The Science of Probiotics. Yakult (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus.

www.yakult.com.my. 2008. Yakult Pioneer of Probiotic. Yakult (Malaysia)
Sdn. Bhd