I love these little fermented milk drinks so much. (Ew, fermented milk. Now that I think about it that sounds kinda gross.) I’m the kind of person who can actually crave for these drinks.

When I was young I remember we actually went on a church field trip to the Vitagen factory to see how they were made. The girl who brought us around told us that Vitagen was healthier because they use real fruit juice. Me being a small kid, I totally bought into the healthy hype and I started picking Vitagen over Yakult.

Eventually Vitagen and I grew apart as I grew older and I hadn’t drunk it for yonks when I suddenly started having cravings again this year. However over the years I had heard from countless friends that “Yakult tastes better”. My weak rebuttals of “But…but Vitagen uses real fruit juice!” were not very convincing. Not being very discerning about my fermented milk choices I picked up a pack of Yakult last week to relive old times.

This started an avalanche. I have consumed three delicious packs of Yakult in the last two weeks. I must say it doesn’t seem to do anything for my pooping habits; unlike Derelyn who drinks two bottles and immediately has to rush off to the loo. But perhaps that’s a bit too much info for my Gentle Readers.

Last night however when I was out doing some 3am grocery shopping (God bless Prime Supermart) with Kerri and Qiyan and Marcus, I discovered that Vitagen costs the same as Yakult (S$2.70) but packs 25ml more into a larger bottle. Gasp! This brought out the kiasu aunty in me.

“Look! I can get 25ml more for the same price! AND Vitagen has real fruit juice,” I asserted proudly to Marcus (who wasn’t listening).

Today I opened the last bottle of my Yakult, which happened to be grape flavored, and in a burst of inspiration opened the grape-flavored Vitagen as well, to facilitate a showdown between the two premium fermented milk drinks on the market.

As you can tell I am trying to avoid studying. Gee, is it 5pm already? *innocent*

Visual proof that Vitagen bottles are bigger than Yakult. Vitagen – 125ml. Yakult – 100ml. I’m eager for Vitagen to prove its worth so that I can go around and inform people smugly that Vitagen “has real fruit juice, okay, and it tastes better, so there!” Also so that I can continue buying Vitagen because I get 100 more ml of drink per five-bottle packet. I am such an aunty.

So anyway.

The purple Vitagen is lighter colored than Yakult, a little paler, while Yakult has a richer color, and is slightly pinker than the more lavender-toned Vitagen. Yakult also has a stronger, sweeter smell than Vitagen.

(If only I put as much effort into my studies, ha.)

Time for the taste test!

*rolls fermented milk thoughtfully around in my mouth, swishes and spits*

Hmmm, yes. I see what they mean. Yakult is definitely sweeter than Vitagen, with a more robust and intense flavor. Vitagen on the other hand tastes rather weak and vaguely insipid when compared to Yakult; though I must also admit that if I hadn’t drunk Yakult immediately after to compare, I might not have realized the difference so clearly.

Texture-wise however, Vitagen seems to be a tad thicker and leaves more of an aftertaste than Yakult does.

Health-wise, Vitagen might still win the competition. It’s not as sweet because, well, it says in large print on the bottle, “LESS SUGAR”. Which is probably healthier. Vitagen also contains dietary fibre (prebiotics) and lactobacillus acidolphilus culture. I’m sure we all remember the ads where the Vitagen culture goes into the intestine and zaps away all the bad germs. Yakult has live L. casei Shirota strain.

According to my *ahem* exhaustive Google searches, L. casei Shirota strain “may accelerate the innate immune response of the respiratory tract and protect against various respiratory infections in neonates, infants, and children, a high risk group for viral and bacterial infections.” (Hori, T., Kiyoshima, J., and Yasui, H., 2004).

L. acidolphilus on the other hand,”protects against the entrance and proliferation of “bad” organisms that can cause disease. This is accomplished through a variety of mechanisms. For example, the breakdown of food by L. acidophilus leads to production of lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other byproducts that make the environment hostile for undesired organisms. L. acidophilus also produces lactase, the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar (lactose) into simple sugars. People who are lactose intolerant do not produce this enzyme. For this reason, L. acidophilus supplements may be beneficial for these individuals.” (DeBusk, R., et al, 2002).

Also, dietary fibre or probiotics “are claimed to prevent and control diarrhoea, lessen the effects of lactose intolerance, relieve constipation, lower cholesterol, prevent and control thrush (a vaginal yeast Infection) and even prevent bowel cancer, as well as stimulate the immune system.” (Wahlqvist, 2002).

There you have it. Vitagen sounds healthier but doesn’t taste quite as good as Yakult. If you’re going for taste, buy Yakult. If you rather err on the side of price and its health benefits, Vitagen’s for you.

Me, I think I’m going to stick to Yakult. The taste really does beat Vitagen hands down.

Citations:

DeBusk, R., et al. April 2002. Retrieved from http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/Lactobacillusacidophiluscs.html

Hori, T., Kiyoshima, J., and Yasui, H. 13 April 2004. Retrieved from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=440622

Wahlqvist, M. 5 April 2002. Retrieved from http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/articles/func-foods/probiotics.htm

[47 bends in the road]