This is one of the most frequent questions we are asked: should I put my live cultures in the fridge? Is it better to keep them in a refrigerator?
The answer to this varies from supplement to supplement.
We select only the most robust strains within a species (find out more about our strains) to use in our friendly bacteria supplements. These already-hardy strains are then put through a process called lyophilisation - a safe, sophisticated stabilisation technique also known as freeze-drying. The strains are then tested to ensure survival and that the billions count stated on the packaging is correct. The stated number of good bacteria in each supplement is valid right up until the expiry date and not just at the time of manufacture.
While all of our friendly bacteria are lyophilised, our friendly yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, undergoes a slightly different stabilisation method known as fluid bed drying (FBD). This advanced method allows less excipients to be used in Saccharomyces boulardii supplements; however it is only suitable for yeasts, not bacteria.
These stabilisation techniques mean that you can be confident in the robustness of Optibac friendly bacteria. However, some bacterial strains may require refrigeration depending on variations in format, packaging and the heat and humidity of the local environment.