Cold Storage Crucial for Probiotic Supplement Viability, Study Finds
A 12-month longitudinal study evaluated the quality and stability of commercial multi-strain probiotic supplements under various storage conditions: ambient (22°C), refrigeration (6°C), and freezing (-18°C). The research, which analyzed 10 commercially available probiotic capsule products, found that storage temperature is the primary determinant of probiotic viability. Ambient storage consistently led to the greatest losses in viable bacterial counts, while refrigeration and freezing significantly improved long-term stability. Specifically, refrigeration best preserved manufacturer-declared counts overall, with six out of ten products meeting their declared counts at the end of their shelf life under refrigeration, compared to only three under ambient conditions. Freezing also showed strong efficacy, with six products maintaining declared counts. The study also highlighted that some products failed to meet declared counts even before expiration, regardless of storage conditions, suggesting issues beyond t...
