What happens if acidophilus is not refrigerated

We must change our mindset! We have to look for specific strains with clinical data supporting their use. Based on what strains we choose, then we can get a little picky about whether something needs to be refrigerated or not. It can be done, and we must not accept shortcuts when it comes to quality.

Before we close, time for a plug of our stuff! We try to make it easy with Probiotic Complete. An added benefit, we have special blister packs that protect it from light and moisture.

This site is still under construction. Lots of links don't work and it's ugly at times. I'll have it fixed soon, I swear! Determine if those strains are temperature sensitive or not. Ask tough questions to find the truth about whether or not the cold chain has been maintained, if it is required. What is the longest it can be out of the cold chain and still maintain potency? Dirty Talk — The Truth about Soil Probiotics The newest trend in probiotics breaks a rule your mom set for you when you were about 2 years old.

Gut Wars — The Protocol for Using Probiotics with Antibiotics Not so long ago, in pharmacies nationwide… Hundreds of times a day in communities all across the country, people are diagnosed with bacterial infections and About Neal Smoller. Blog Podcast Video About Contact. The life cycle of probiotic bacteria has four stages Lag phase — Bacteria mature and grow in size, but they are not yet able to divide. Growth or Exponential phase — This is the growth period where bacteria use nutrients to replicate and build metabolic waste.

Bacteria are most susceptible to harmful environmental conditions during this phase this point is very important too. Static or Stationary phase — Bacteria enter this phase when growth and death rates are equal. It kicks in when nutrients needed for replication are depleted, or waste generated from replication blocks further growth. Death phase — Growth stops, and the bacteria start to die off So why is this information important?

About the Author. Medically reviewed and edited by Tod Cooperman, M. Many probiotic bacteria are naturally sensitive to heat and moisture. Heat can kill organisms and moisture can activate them within pills, only to die due to lack of nutrients and a proper environment. These products should ideally be refrigerated and kept out of humidity. However, probiotics with freeze-dried organisms which includes most sold as supplements in tablet or capsule form and in packaging to prevent moisture, such as blister packs, generally do not need refrigeration or to be kept out of humidity but should still not be exposed to heat above room temperature.

They also have longer shelf-lives than products containing live cultures, such as yogurts and drinks which must be refrigerated. Probiotic yeast and some of the spore-forming bacteria, such as Bacillus coagulans , generally do not require refrigeration. If you are purchasing a probiotic with a label that suggests or requires it be refrigerated, be sure your retailer has kept it refrigerated.

If you order the product by mail, such as from an online retailer, be sure it is shipped overnight or with refrigerated shipping to minimize exposure to extreme heat, especially during warm weather - and arrange for the package to be delivered at a time you are home.

Freeze-dried probiotics are not damaged by extremely cold temperatures, like the temperature in airplane cargo holds, which can reach freezing or below - so they can be safely shipped by air.

Once you get the product, be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations. If in doubt, refrigerate. Once you remove a probiotic from its blister pack or container, use it right away - don't put it in a weekly pill holder.

For more information about probiotics and ConsumerLab. Sign In Here. Review of Daily Synbiotic by Seed, including information about the prebiotic and probiotic strains in the supplement, and whether there is evidence of benefit for the synbiotic.

Find out if soil-based probiotic supplements are safe to take. Information about side effects, allergic reactions, infections and more. Find out if the probiotic formula VSL 3 has been changed and how it compares with Visbiome. Find out if fish oil supplements need to be shipped with freezer packs to be kept fresh, plus other information about shipping and storing supplements.

Find out whether your CoQ10 or ubiquinol supplement can be destroyed by heat during shipping and at what temperature CoQ10 softgels can melt. Is the probiotic "Milk Test" an effective at-home test of the quality of the bacteria in probiotic supplements? Find out if probiotics can help with lactose intolerance. ConsumerLab's answer explains, including some foods that may cause fewer symptoms in the lactose intolerant.

Find out if why some probiotics areenterically coated, whether probiotics need to be enterically coated, potential downsides and more. Find out if eating Greek yogurt is sufficient to obtain probiotics, or if supplements can still help. Are vitamins and supplements susceptible to heat? Find out if mail ordering during the summer is safe.

Some probiotic bacteria, like Lactobacillus delbrueckii , are highly sensitive to certain processing methods , like freeze-drying, while others, like Lactobacillus paracasei and spore-forming strains like Bacillus , come out live and ready to populate your gut on the other side. While you might assume that refrigerated probiotics contain fewer additives, this isn't true in all cases. Pedre recommends checking your labels to make sure whatever probiotics you choose are free of additives.

Refrigeration may also create a barrier to taking probiotics in the first place, says Bindiya Gandhi, M. For example, if you travel a lot, it can be difficult to carry around a heat-sensitive bottle of probiotics wherever you go, so you're more likely to just leave it behind instead. While you don't have to refrigerate shelf-stable probiotics, there are some things you can do to make them last longer:.

These tips helps maintain a safe temperature and protects the probiotics from their two major enemies: heat and moisture. Like all living things, probiotics eventually die—or expire—at 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 or CFUs 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 including probiotics are formulated to last at least two years beyond the manufacturing date check the bottom of the bottle.

If you like your probiotic, you'll probably use it well before two years though. Refrigerated probiotics aren't superior to the shelf-stable options out there. What's most important is that you choose a high-quality probiotic and store it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If your probiotic calls for refrigeration, keeping it cold keeps the bacteria alive.