The Probiotic Industry has taken the world by storm with the now-proven knowledge of how vital it is to have well balanced gut bacteria cultures. In this month’s issue, we discuss the various options available and obviously tell you why Promix EM Probiotics are industry leaders

When it comes to the modern Probiotic Market, we are bombarded with a myriad of choices, from dry probiotics (powder sachets, tablets & capsules), liquid probiotics (bottled drinking probiotics, shots & drops) and then the freeze-dried varieties and lastly the numerous ‘home-made’ varieties. 

For people that are not aware of the differences, let’s explain them quickly:

• DRY PROBIOTICS: Powders, tablets & capsules: Because natural live beneficial bacteria is fragile and does not survive processing, the cultures in dry probiotics are genetically engineered, an expensive process. The cheaper ones generally have very few (if any) cultures in them and generally have yeast-based ingredients to encourage cultures (if any) in the gut to breed faster. The advantage with dry probiotics is that they do have a long shelf life.
• FREEZE-DRIED PROBIOTICS: Processed by slowly removing the water under low pressure & temperature to avoid damaging the cultures and suspending them until liquid is reintroduced again. Studies, however, indicate that freeze-drying could cause cellular damage, this negatively affects the performance of those cultures once in the gut.
• LIQUID PROBIOTICS: Generally contain larger numbers of various cultures, but also have a shorter shelf-life and, more often than not, require refrigeration which will further reduce their life span. Liquid is easy to take and obviously will be quicker to react in the gut.
• HOME MADE FERMENTATIONS: In my opinion, the most dubious of all as the final product is never constant. Some factors that could impact on the final product are temperatures, containers, health standards, liquid used etc. so no batch could ever be exactly the same as any previous batch and no idea of what cultures are produced (remember salmonella is also a bacteria culture!). The advantage here is that although it is labour intensive, this process is cost effective.