OREANDA-NEWS. October 01, 2010. The South Korean Maeil Dairies Co. has started using Lactobacillus Fermentum ME-3, a strain of probiotic lactic acid bacteria developed by the Estonian University of Tartu, in its Pure series of products, reported the press-centre of TATNEFT.

Jane Saatre, the university's marketing manager for industrial property, said Hyang Rim Corporation, distributor of the products of the Italian company Probiotical that industrially produces the bacteria, helped bring about the cooperation.

"Product development preparations and getting all the necessary permits from the local authorities took several years. The company plans to use the ME-3 bacteria also in a new series of products it has in the pipeline," Saatre said.

The university said Maeil Dairies Co. is using the bacteria under a non-exclusive license agreement which allows the right of use to be granted to other companies of the same region as well. For example, one of South Korea's largest dairy industry companies too has shown interest in the bacteria.

Maeil Dairies Co. started work in 1969. The corporation has by now seven factories and sells in addition to own production imported products.

The company's aim is to become by 2012 one of the 10 most successful food industry firms of South Korea with sales of 16.6 million kroons (EUR 1.06 mln) including 12.5 million kroons from the sale of food products.