Bulgaria, whose name was attached to the culture used for yoghurt, wanted to promote its own versions of health food, Guardian daily said.

"Demand for health food in the world is growing and yoghurt is a unique product that has many positive health effects," Hristo Yungarev, chief executive of research company LB Bulgaricum, told Reuters in an interview.
"We have to focus on that to find new markets."

State owned LB Bulgaricum, licensed to export yoghurt know-how, expected to sign a contract with Japanese Meiji Milk Products, which would give the Japanese company the right to sell Bulgarian yoghurt in nine Asian countries.
Yungarev said that French, South African, Maroccan and Indian companies had expressed interest in acquiring a license to produce Bulgarian yoghurt.

LB Bulgaricum had sold yoghurt know-how to more than 20 countries, but licenses were now only owned by companies in Japan, Korea and Finland.

Svetlana Minkova, head of research at MLB Bulgaricum, said the company had developed new products, which were said to help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. It had also developed products which were said to boost the immune system and clean toxins.

The company said it was carrying out research together with Bulgaria's national oncology institute into yoghurt's effect on cancer, the Guardian said.