Next: Postbiotics?

Next: Postbiotics? There's a fairly significant development in the granola-bar department: three flavors of LiveActive chewy granola bars from Kraft. LiveActive is Kraft's line of products said to "promote digestive health" because they contain prebiotics or probiotics; the granola bars contain both.

Mr. Tidbit labored several minutes to acquire the following information, so he feels compelled to inflict it on you. You have permission to skip ahead if you already know this stuff or don't care.

Probiotics are live bacteria cultures, like those in the human digestive system, that promote digestive health. Kraft's LiveActive cheese sticks contain two such probiotics: bifidobacterium lactis and lactobacillus rhamnosus.

Prebiotics are ingredients, such as fiber, that stimulate the growth and/or activity of the beneficial bacteria (probiotics) in the colon. The prebiotic in LiveActive cereal and cottage cheese -- and the granola bars -- is inulin, a plant fiber that appears in lots of grocery items.

What's particularly interesting about the granola bars -- if it's interesting at all -- is that they are dry, shelf-stable foods (no refrigeration required) that contain a live bacterium, in this case lactobacillus plantarum. There may be other shelf-stable grocery products containing live cultures, but this is the first one Mr. Tidbit has encountered.

Lactobacillus plantarum is a common beneficial resident of the human digestive system -- and (amuse your friends with this bit of trivia) it is widely used to inhibit spoilage of crops in silos.

Mr. Tidbit tried the blueberry-almond variety of LiveActive granola bars and was surprised: He actually liked it!

Crystal Light, Kraft's powdered drink mix, is adding a LiveActive line, also containing both prebiotics and probiotics, but Mr. Tidbit hasn't seen it yet.

And so it begins Another new arrival in the cereal-bar aisle is General Mills' latest extension of its Chex cereals: Chex Mix bars, in Chocolate Chunk or Turtle (that one includes caramel, chocolate and peanuts; both also contain pretzels). No pre- pro- or antibiotics, but both contain chicory root extract, otherwise known as ... inulin.

AL SICHERMAN