The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) Working Group define probiotics as “live micro-organisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. However, there are several types including bacteria or non-bacterial; spore forming and non-spore forming, multi-species or single-species; and allochthonous or autochthonous- those are that are or aren’t likely to be found in an animal’s gastro-intestinal tract (FAO/ WHO, 2001).”"

Visionary leaders are the leading market players in terms of new developments such as product launches, innovative technologies, and the adoption of growth strategies. These players have a broad product offering that caters to most of the regions globally. Visionary leaders primarily focus on acquiring the leading market position through their strong financial capabilities and their well-established brand equity.

Dynamic Differentiators are established players with very strong business strategies. However, they have a weaker product portfolio compared to the visionary leaders. They generally focus only on a specific type of technology related to the product.

Innovators in the competitive leadership mapping are vendors that have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. The companies have focused on product portfolios. However, they do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business, when compared with the visionary leaders.

Emerging players are players that have recently included the subject market-related products in their portfolios, have a limited product portfolio catering to the studied market, or are comparatively smaller in operations. In terms of geographical reach and operating and financial strength as well, they are comparatively limited.

The market poses a moderate threat to new entrants in establishing their footprint, as there are many players who are providing pulse flour products to diverse clientele groups, globally.