*Hint - it doesn’t have to be stored in your fridge![1]

Our understanding of probiotics has come a long way in recent years.  Not only do we know more about the health benefits of probiotics than ever before, we also know a lot more about how to protect them and keep them alive and stable, so that they can do what they do best.

The very definition of a probiotic is a live microbe which can offer health benefits to the host (that’s you!).[2]  The important word here is live, and the different ways in which to keep microbes alive has been a key focus of recent research.  When choosing a probiotic, it is important to be confident that you are getting live bacteria. Here we discuss the importance of choosing a probiotic with a live bacteria guarantee when it comes to supporting your health and wellbeing.

 

The probiotic journey – from processing facility to your digestive tract

Probiotics are faced with many challenges.  Not only do they have to withstand the harsh environment that comes with processing, transport and storage, but they also need to survive the biggest challenge of all - your digestive tract.

From the very minute they come into contact with your mouth, they are surrounded in a pool of salivary digestive enzymes, each with the ability to break down the very building blocks microbes are made from.[3]

After the mouth comes one of the biggest threats of all – your gastric acid.  With a highly acidic pH of <3, gastric acid is designed to keep bacteria at bay.  Without it, pathogens have the potential to gain access to other areas of your body and affect your health. Unfortunately, gastric acid is not able to differentiate between good microbes and pathogenic microbes, with some good microbes being sensitive to acidic pH levels. 2,[4]

If microbes are resilient enough to survive gastric acids, they are then faced with bile acids and even more digestive enzymes.  In order to make it to the colon, where they do most of their health-supporting work, probiotics must be quite resilient.

 

Protecting probiotics for better stability

The good news is there are ways to improve probiotic stability.  These techniques have shown to not only improve probiotic stability at shelf temperature, but also in the digestive tract.

One such technique is referred to as freeze-drying and involves coating probiotics in a thin layer of protective material (eg. carbohydrate), freezing and then drying them using a special vacuum.  This ‘capsule-like’ coating acts as a shield – protecting against changes in temperature amongst other threats and enables probiotics to survive at room temperature

This same technique has also demonstrated the ability to help protect probiotics as they make their way through your gut to their final destination – the colon.1

The end result is a probiotic that can be conveniently stored without the need for refrigeration and that has increased chances of surviving the tumultuous journey of the digestive tract.

At Life-Space we not only produce shelf-stable probiotics, but we also guarantee that you will get the amount of live bacteria as shown on the label, so that you can experience the many wonderful benefits that probiotics have to offer.

 

Life-Space Team

*Store below 30˚C

Always read the label. Follow the directions for use.

 

 

 

[1] Rezvankhah A, Emam-Djomeh Z, Askari G. Encapsulation and delivery of bioactive compounds using spray and freeze-drying techniques: A review. Drying Technology. 2020 Jan 2;38(1-2):235-58.​

[2] Morelli L, Capurso L. FAO/WHO guidelines on probiotics: 10 years later. Journal of clinical gastroenterology. 2012 Oct 1;46:S1-2.

[3] Han S, Lu Y, Xie J, Fei Y, Zheng G, Wang Z, Liu J, Lv L, Ling Z, Berglund B, Yao M. Probiotic Gastrointestinal Transit and Colonization After Oral Administration: A Long Journey. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2021 Mar 10;11:102.

[4] Tennant SM, Hartland EL, Phumoonna T, Lyras D, Rood JI, Robins-Browne RM, van Driel IR. Influence of gastric acid on susceptibility to infection with ingested bacterial pathogens. Infection and immunity. 2008 Feb;76(2):639-45.

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