Shelf Stable Probiotics Vs Refrigerated Probiotics
Are refrigerated probiotics better than shelf-stable probiotics, or is it the other way around? Theres really no answer to this. Certain strains of probiotic bacteria require refrigeration or are sensitive to freeze-dried processing. If youre taking probiotics supplements with these types of strains, then of course, it will best serve your supplementary needs.
On the other hand, shelf-stable probiotics contain bacterial strains that are equally effective for better gut, digestive, and immune health. Its just a matter of preference! All Probulin Digestive Probiotics contain Lactobacilli Bacteria and Bifidobacteria, which are two probiotics strains that provide a plethora of health benefits to those who consume them.
Consulting with a doctor can give you better guidance on what probiotic types are right for you. For this reason, we like to point you in that direction before you begin taking new probiotics regularly. If youve already had those discussions, we encourage you to discover why Probulin Probiotics are the very best you can find on the market. Head over to browse some Probulin customer favorites to see why!
When Should They Be Kept Out At Room Temperature
There are a number of new technologies that do not require probiotic strains to be stored in the refrigerator. Modern sophisticated freeze drying technologies like lyophilisation make sure that your probiotics are kept stable at room temperature. These probiotics are packed in special blister packs to prevent moisture.
When it comes to probiotics refrigeration freeze dried probiotics are more stable and can withstand wide fluctuations in the temperature they are stored in. The bacteria are not dead, but kept in an inactive state. They begin functioning as normal as soon as they come in contact with your stomach.
Some supplements have bacteria in the lag phase. This means that the bacteria mature and grow in size, but, are unable to replicate.
They have not yet come to the point where they begin to divide and multiply. Bacteria adapt to their environment during the lag phase and have a better chance of surviving the corrosive stomach environment. They also do not require refrigeration because the bacteria are essentially not metabolizing.
Shelf stable products are more convenient than the ones in the fridge, especially when you are traveling. You can keep them at your bedside table and even at your desk, to make sure you never a miss a dose and these doses are healthy.
Most manufacturers recommend keeping supplements in the refrigerator once opened to prevent moisture from getting to the bacteria.
Sbo Probiotics Naturally Shelf
Are there non-refrigerated probiotic products that are safe and effective? One probiotic species that has met these criteria and is naturally shelf stable with no expensive processing required is Bacillus subtilis, an SBO or soil-based organism with a structure similar to a seed. Quality SBO probiotics are based on the microorganisms naturally found in a healthy terrestrial microbiome which are considered linked to the development of a healthy human microbiome.
The protective shell found in this type of probiotic naturally protects the cells core until it reaches the desired location at which time the seed is planted. This mechanism shows one manner in which probiotic microflora evolved to mutually beneficial relationship within the human body. The endospores shell insulates the bacterias genetic material from heat, other environmental assaults, and the manufacturing process.
Quality SBO probiotics are naturally resilient, heat stable and remain viable regardless of refrigeration, and without the need for artificial encapsulations or coatings. The ultra-thin shell, naturally present, also preserves the bacterial cells against acidic environments in the stomach and upper intestines due to bile release.
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When Should Probiotics Be Refrigerated
Probiotic supplements should be refrigerated after opening to maximize potency. This is because humidity in the air can start to reactivate probiotics prematurely, undoing the preservation processes used during manufacturing.
A probiotics packaging and capsules may help keep moisture sealed out but they are not completely airtight. Refrigeration slows down metabolic and degradation processes which helps preserve the probiotic until they are ready to grow inside the gut.
My Yogurt Gives Me All The Probiotics I Need
Millions have been spent marketing yogurt as a way to get much-needed probiotics, but dont assume they are working for you. For starters, look at the nutritional value of many yogurts and compare them to the supposed benefits. Yogurt is often filled with sugar , which in itself can actually kill the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
The next thing to consider is how much benefit your gut is getting from the yogurt. More often than not, the amount of actual probiotics in yogurt isn’t enough to make much of a difference to your gut flora, and unfortunately, most of it is killed in the stomach acids.
A good quality probiotic supplement is a superior way to get the concentrations that your gut needs. And with a probiotic supplement, you won’t need to worry about added sugars, preservatives or unwanted hormones.
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Why Some Probiotic’s Need To Be Refrigerated
Different probiotic strains are more sensitive to heat than others and thus may require refrigeration.
There aren’t any public clinical studies on what those probiotic strains other than, Bacillus Coagulans isn’t one of them. This strain is said to be able to survive fairly harsh hot environments.
Most probiotic supplements are multi-strain these days so it does become quite complicated trying to figure out yourself what should be refrigerated based on the strain ingredients.
Can Probiotic Supplements Expire
Like all living things, probiotics eventually dieor expireat some point. And because probiotics need to be alive to work, considering the expiry date of your probiotics is especially important.
When looking at a probiotic supplement, you’ll see that each one contains a specific number of organisms per capsule. For example, one probiotic may have 5 billion colony-forming units per dose, while another has 25 billion CFUs. But, as Pedre points out, those numbers only represent what’s in the capsule up to their expiration. After that, the probiotic numbers go down and the supplement becomes less effective over time.
While this is true no matter how you store your probiotics, the less closely you follow the storage instructions, the more quickly it happens. For example, if your probiotic calls for refrigeration but you leave it out on the counter in the middle of the summer, the heat and moisture from humidity can kill some, or all, of the bacteria, even before the expiration date.
If your probiotic doesn’t have an expiration or best-by date, most supplements are formulated to last at least two years beyond the manufacturing date . If you like your probiotic, you’ll probably use it well before two years though.
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Do You Need To Refrigerate Probiotics
No, not all probiotic supplements need to be kept in the fridge. The best way to determine whether they need to be kept in the fridge or not would be to simply check the label on your supplement carefully. Another good way to determine if your probiotic needs to be kept in a fridge would be to look at how it was stored when purchased. If it was refrigerated at point of purchased or delivered in packaging with a cool pack, then it will be more than likely that the product will need to be kept in a refrigerator. Some probiotic supplements can be kept at room temperature safely. These probiotics will be labelled as shelf stable on their packaging or labels which you will be able to see upon purchasing the product.
It is worth remembering that probiotics are bacteria and they have to be stored correctly in order to work. If the supplement is kept out of the correct temperature range, then the product will degrade much faster and ultimately, wont work. If you buy a probiotic supplement that was not temperature controlled, they will not function in the way they should.
How Fermentation Boosts Beauty Benefits
Whats all the hype about fermentation and probiotics in beauty products? Cant I just have my kimchi and kefir and call it a day? Sure! You can. But, with all industry eyes on fermented topical products, why would you deprive your skin of so many juicy benefits?
When you add more biodiversity to the microbiome party, your microbial ecosystem becomes healthier. Aging and a variety of skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis are shown to demonstrate low ranges of biodiversity on the surface of the skin. A 2020 study found that after just 4 weeks of applying a topical oil or ferment-containing serum, the bacterial community that lives on the skin becomes more beneficial as younger probiotic strains are regularly introduced.
Fermented probiotic strains serve your skin in the following ways:
- Boost ingredient penetration into the skin
- Concentrate ingredients to deliver benefits in a single drop or pump of formula
- Absorb deeper into the skin for higher efficacy
- Longer-lasting hydration and moisturization
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To Chill Or Not To Chill How To Store Probiotic Skincare
You may have come across probiotics in the health food store, sitting pretty in their very own refrigerated section. You might also see probiotics in that same store that are being stored on regular shelves next to vitamins and other supplements. How can these microorganisms exist in both sections and survive?
The Life Cycle Of Probiotic Bacteria Has Four Stages
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Many Probiotic Supplements Must Be Refrigerated
Many factors affect probiotics survival and efficacy, including:
- Life stage of probiotics
- Other ingredients in the product
The first place to look to see if your probiotic supplement needs refrigeration is the label. Manufacturers will call out if you need to keep the product cold.
Another sign of how to store your probiotic supplement is how it was stored when you purchased it. If it was stored in the refrigerated section or shipped with an ice pack, it likely needs to stay refrigerated.
Other probiotic supplements that are using shelf-stable technology and strains, like Omni-Biotic probiotics, will highlight the benefits of taking a probiotic that doesnt need refrigeration.
For some probiotic products, its essential to refrigerate because of the other ingredients included in the product. Probiotic foods like yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut have dairy and other ingredients that spoil faster than the probiotics life. These products have a shorter life outside the refrigerator because of the temperature-sensitive ingredients.
While all probiotic supplements expire at some point, the less closely you follow storage instructions, the more quickly this will happen. Plus, pretty much all probiotic supplements have longer shelf-lives if theyre not exposed to high temperatures and extreme conditions.
Refrigerated Probiotics Vs Non
Shelf-stable probiotics are non-refrigerated probiotics.
This means that they can survive room-temperature environments much better than refrigerated probiotics.
Theyll still keep their original potency level on the shelf for around 2 years from the date of manufacture.
These are great if you find yourself always on-the-go.
Perhaps you have a busy lifestyle and need to take your probiotics in a travel bag, to the hotel, gym, and other places that may not have a refrigerator.
While you obviously dont want to leave them in your car in the middle of the summer, you can feel confident knowing theyll benefit you even without keeping them in a fridge.
Then, are refrigerated probiotics better than their non-refrigerated counterparts?
Theres really no way to answer this.
Certain strains of probiotic bacteria require refrigeration, while others do not.
However, a non-refrigerated strain may be just the one you need in order to treat your specific condition.
The factor thats going to play the biggest role in efficacy, is the quality of the product you choose.
You can usually tell the difference between them by obviously reading the label, but also looking at the packaging.
As previously mentioned, if they were stored in the refrigerated section of the store or shipped with an ice pack, its likely a refrigerated type of probiotic.
Most high-quality probiotics also come in moisture-resistant and heat-resistant packaging.
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Probiotics That Never Need Refrigeration
That said, certain probiotics do not need refrigeration because there are certain species of probiotics that are more resilient than others such as:
Therefore, when probiotics are formulated, these shelf-stable strains should be included along with the aforementioned probiotic manufacturing techniques.
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Does Terraflora Broad Spectrum Synbiotic Need To Be Refrigerated
Short answer: No. The probiotic bio-complex in Terraflora is made up of a sophisticated blend of select Bacillus strains. Selected for their unique characteristics, Bacillus can exist in two forms. Under favorable conditions the bacteria grow in a vegetative form, but when starved of nutrients, they differentiate into a dormant life form known as an endospore or simply a spore. These spores come alive when introduced to an ideal environment, like the human gut. Terraflora is a balanced formulation of a new generation of probiotics they are inherently resilient, heat-stable, and require no refrigeration.
References
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All Good Bacteria Act As Probiotics
There are trillions of bacteria in your intestinal tract, and we are still identifying and understanding their role in the human body. Many of these bacteria have been identified as “good,” but not all of them are the same. A true “probiotic” is one that can help to colonize the body with helpful bacteria.
A good way to think of the probiotic is like a gardener responsible for identifying the “good” and removing the “bad.” Not all strains of bacteria have the ability to make it to the colon to play a crucial role in fermenting fiber and colonizing helpful bacteria. The key is to look for strains like those found in the Silver Fern Ultimate Probiotic that have been proven to colonize the gut.
Why Refrigerated Probiotics
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve already jumped on the probiotics bandwagon, but in case you need further convincing, studies have shown that probiotics can help improve immunity, aid weightloss, and even help reduce anxiety. But why should you choose a probiotic that needs to be refrigerated over one that’s shelf stable? Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, told Well + Good that probiotics are “naturally sensitive to heat and moisture,”so if you live in a particularly warm or humid climate, opting for refrigerated probiotics is a good way to ensure that the key microorganisms inside don’t perish.
What’s more, non-refrigerated probiotics require that you follow the storage instructions to a tee. For example, if you remove the pills from their original packaging before you’re ready to use them , they lose their effectiveness, according to Ilyse Schapiro, MS, RD, CDN, in an interview with Bustle.
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Find A Less Temperature
Some probiotics are less sensitive to temperature than others, so you could always try switching to a different probiotic that is more survivable. If you take this approach, it is a good idea to make the switch at least a few weeks in advance of traveling. A change in probiotic regimen can have side effects or cause digestive upset, and you dont want these to take you by surprise when you are a few days into your travels.
Look for probiotics being sold as travel products. These are usually formatted to survive hotter climates and do not require refrigeration.
How To Properly Store Probiotics
Improper probiotics storage is crucial because it is a major factor that leads to bacteria loss. The number of CFUs in a probiotic supplement product will decrease over time, without refrigeration not just by you, the buyer, but also during transport.
Manufacturers factor in this decrease when they label the probiotic with a best if used by date. They produce their probiotics with an overage of extra CFUs so that you will receive what the package label indicates.
If you buy a probiotic and the label says it contains 10 billion CFUs, it was probably packaged with 15 billion or more CFUs, to make up for the lost bacteria before the product is consumed.
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Do Probiotics Need To Be Refrigerated How To Keep Yours Fresh
Posted by Dr. Ian Stern Admin on December 11, 2019
Whether or not probiotics need to be refrigerated depends on the type of strains used in the probiotic. Common elements such as heat, moisture, oxygen, and light impact the survivability of certain probiotic species. From the moment a probiotic is manufactured, most types of bacteria begin the natural dying off process, which needs to be taken into account by the manufacturer.
Accordingly, the product should be created with overage and supervised closely during the production, delivery, and storage phases. This way the product can remain viable and the bacteria can survive all the above-mentioned phases as well as the phase of ingestion and traveling through the intestinal tract into the small intestine. Here they begin to colonize and take effect.