is a yogurt-like beverage made by fermenting a mixture of skim milk and sugar with a special strain of the bacteria Lactobacillus casei Shirota. Because L. casei Shirota is naturally found in the digestive system, Yakult is touted as beneficial for intestinal health. It has a natural citrus flavor.

The name is derived from Jahurto, which is Esperanto for "yoghurt."What is the origin of Yakult’s name?

Yakult was invented by Kyoto University pediatrics doctor Minoru Shirota in 1930. In 1935, he founded the () to market his beverage. Since then, Yakult has also introduced a line of beverages for the Japanese market that contain Bifidobacterium breve bacteria, and has also used its lactobacilli research to develop cosmetics. More recently, the Yakult Honsha played a major role in developing the chemotherapy drug irinotecan (Camptosar, CPT-11).Pharmaceutical Division of Yakult

Yakult also owns one of Japan's major baseball franchises, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

Today, Yakult is manufactured and sold in Japan, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and Europe, although its bacteria cultures are still imported from a mother strain in Japan regardless of production location.

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