Probiotics have long been an important group of ingredients in dietary supplements, functional food and animal products. At the same time, manufacturers are paying more and more attention to postbiotics – inactivated microorganisms and/or their components.
For a finished-product manufacturer, choosing between a probiotic and a postbiotic is not only about the biological properties of the raw material. Equally important are stability, the production process, the formulation approach, storage conditions, transport and the final dosage form.
Probiotic – a live microorganism in a demanding formulation
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a benefit on the host. From a technological point of view this means one fundamental challenge: the microorganism must remain alive and stable throughout the shelf life of the final product.
That is why designing a probiotic formulation means taking many factors into account. Moisture, oxygen, temperature and light can all affect bacterial survival. Each stage of the process matters too – from blending, through encapsulation or tableting, to packaging and transport.
Bioprox Healthcare has a collection of more than 3,000 probiotic strains and offers multi-strain blends and solutions tailored to specific formulation needs.
In practice, this means that when choosing a probiotic you should look not only at the species name but above all at the specific strain, its properties and its stability requirements.
Postbiotic – new possibilities for formulation
Postbiotics are preparations of inactivated microorganisms and/or their components, which may include whole tyndallised cells, cell fragments and – depending on the technology – metabolites.
From a formulation point of view this can be a significant advantage. Postbiotics are stable and easier to use in processes where keeping bacteria viable is a challenge. Postbiotics can be used in dietary supplements, food and beverages, as feed material and in cosmetics.
Probiotics vs postbiotics – the key differences in formulation
Stability
With a probiotic, the microorganisms must remain sufficiently viable until the end of the finished product’s shelf life. This means controlling humidity, temperature, oxygen exposure and other environmental factors.
With a postbiotic, stability at room temperature is guaranteed and there is no need to overdose it in the finished product.
Storage and transport
Probiotics need special care during storage and distribution. Temperature and humidity can directly affect their viability, which makes the supply chain an important part of product quality assurance.
Postbiotics can be easier to handle in this respect. Storage and transport are simpler, and no special storage conditions are required.
Applications
The stability of postbiotics can make them easier to use in product categories where live bacteria would be technologically more difficult. This makes postbiotics an interesting direction for manufacturers of food, supplements, animal products and cosmetics.
How to choose the right raw material for your formulation?
There is no single solution that suits every product. The choice between a probiotic and a postbiotic should follow from the goals of the specific project.
When designing a formulation, consider in particular:
- the final dosage form – capsule, sachet, tablet, powder, beverage or another matrix;
- the manufacturing process and its effect on the raw material;
- stability requirements;
- storage and transport conditions;
- the expected shelf life;
- quality requirements and raw material documentation;
- the specifics of the particular strain or preparation.
The raw material is only the start of a good formulation
For a manufacturer of dietary supplements or functional food, choosing the right raw material is one of the key stages of product development. With microbiome ingredients, what matters is not only the microorganism itself but also how it is prepared, its stability, its quality documentation and its fit with the specific manufacturing process.
That is why working with an experienced supplier can make a difference as early as the formulation design stage.
Probiotic or postbiotic?
Probiotics and postbiotics do not have to compete. They are two different technological solutions that can meet different manufacturer needs.
Probiotics work well where carefully selected live strains are needed. Postbiotics open up further possibilities where raw material stability, simpler storage or process flexibility are especially important.
So the key question should not be just “probiotic or postbiotic?”. A better question is: “which solution best fits this specific formulation?”
The right raw material, a proven manufacturing process and a well-designed formulation together determine the quality of the final product.