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.

You might also be interested in reading our popular article on the best probiotics in Australia if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.

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.

Our favourite gut health products in Australia

YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.

Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.

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.

Learn more about postbiotics.

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

Factors we consider in our ratings

The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.

Health benefits

We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.

Things detrimental to health

We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.

How it’s made

This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.

Price

While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.

Flavour

For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.

Our favourite gut health products in Australia

YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.

Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.

Biocult probiotic drink review