Refrigerated Probiotics vs. Non-Refrigerated

Do probiotics need to be refrigerated? And if so, what happens when you don’t refrigerate probiotics?

These are the burning questions we’re out to answer for you today.

Do Probiotics Need to Be Refrigerated in Order to Survive?

Let’s first distinguish between whether they need to be refrigerated once they’re in your home versus when they’re on their way to you or your favorite retailer.

The temperature inside of a delivery truck can reach temperatures that can certainly kill your probiotics. This is why we are always sure to ship our probiotic formulas iced and insulated.

As for how to store your probiotics once they’ve made it to you safely, the best advice depends on the brand.

Some probiotic supplements require refrigeration, while others do not. This is why you may have heard of shelf stable probiotics versus refrigerated probiotics.

Additionally, certain bacteria strains are sensitive to heat and moisture. For those that are, the heat kills them instantly while the moisture activates them prematurely before they enter your body.

Both instances can lead to an early expiration of the probiotics in your supplements. That’s why it’s important to know what bacteria strains your supplements contain, as this can dictate the best way to store them.  

After testing a selection of probiotic supplements in 2009, ConsumerLab.com reported that 85% of the probiotics failed to disclose ingredient contents on their packaging. At Probulin, transparency is what we’re all about. All of our products have clear details of what’s in them on the packaging. For every supplement, the packaging lists out each of the organisms incorporated in the supplement formula.  

If you’ve purchased probiotics recently and you find yourself wondering if probiotics need to be refrigerated , it’s best to check the packaging. That’s normally where the storing instructions are for probiotic supplements, which will guide you on how to properly preserve them for increased longevity.

You can also take cues on how to store them from the place you bought them from. If you grabbed it from the grocery store from the refrigerated aisle, it’s an indicator that your probiotics need refrigeration. If you got them off the shelves, however, it’s quite possible that your probiotics are shelf-stable.

What Are Shelf-Stable Probiotics?

Shelf-stable probiotics may be able to survive room-temperature environments much longer than probiotics that are not shelf-stable. They may also maintain a potency level without being refrigerated.

With an average shelf life of two years, shelf-stable probiotics ensure that you don’t have to worry about your probiotics expiring quicker while on-the-go. If you travel a lot, shelf-stable probiotics are more of a viable option for you. This doesn’t go without saying that you should still refrain from storing shelf-stable probiotics in places above room temperature.

You don’t want to leave them in your car for hours on a hot summer day, as this can affect their viability. There are a few ways that you can store shelf-stable probiotics responsibly to make them last a lot longer:

• Don’t remove your supplements from the packaging until you’re ready to ingest them. Try not to place them in pill dividers or ziploc bags for later use. Keep them where they originally were until it’s consumption time, and make sure that the packaging is sealed as tightly as possible. Certain plastics, glasses, and other materials block bacteria-killing environmental conditions (like humidity) more effectively than others. Only the best of the best materials are used to package Probulin Digestive Probiotics, contributing to a long shelf life.
• Although shelf-life probiotics don’t have to be refrigerated, it still helps to store them in a cool, dry setting, like your pantry. Placing them in your medicine cabinet might not be the best idea, as the heat and humidity from taking showers won’t mesh well with them.

All Probulin Probiotics such as our Women’s Probiotics, Probiotics for Immunity, and Total Care Probiotic are shipped cold and protected with thermal-insulated packaging liners. We do everything it takes to make sure that your probiotics arrive to you alive.

Shelf Stable Probiotics vs. Refrigerated Probiotics

Are refrigerated probiotics better than shelf-stable probiotics, or is it the other way around? There’s really no answer to this. Certain strains of probiotic bacteria require refrigeration or are sensitive to freeze-dried processing. If you’re 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. It’s 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 you’ve 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!

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