EFSA has again rejected a health claim (under article 13.5) related to Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bi-07 contributes to increasing lactose digestion from DuPont Nutrition Biosciences ApS. The claimed effect proposed by the applicant is “improvement of lactose digestion”, which was considered by the panel as a beneficial physiological effect for those suffering from lactose maldigestion and provided that the symptoms of lactose maldigestion are improved.
Despite the fact that the EFSA acknowledged that BI-07 increased lactose digestion in subjects with lactose maldigestion and is able to exhibit lactase activity in vitro in two different studies, an improvement of subsequent gastrointestinal symptoms of lactose maldigestion was not shown. As the latter one was considered to be the key beneficial physiological effect, EFSA rejects the claim.