Is it better to have refrigerated probiotics?
If your probiotic calls for refrigeration, keeping it cold keeps the bacteria alive. If your probiotic is shelf-stable, you don’t have to put it in the refrigerator, but proper storage techniques can help improve the odds that the bacteria live to their best-by date.
Can probiotics be stored at room temperature?
No, you don’t need to refrigerate ALL probiotics. Here’s the truth about probiotics: probiotics only need to have the cold chain maintained if that is a trait of the probiotic strain that is being used. Not too advanced of a concept, but it is an important point.
What happens if probiotics aren’t refrigerated?
Without refrigeration, these probiotics progress through the growth phase at a much faster pace, so they would enter the death phase in a matter of weeks, or even days. Dead probiotics can’t help anyone. With refrigeration, metabolism is slowed enough to provide a shelf life of several months.
Do all probiotic supplements need to be refrigerated?
Generally, most supplement manufacturers say on the label whether probiotics are shelf stable or require refrigeration. If there are no specific storage instructions listed on the label, your probiotic is likely shelf stable and doesn’t need refrigerating.