Probiotics

The category holds live cultures, inactivated cells and yeast derived fractions, and they are not judged the same way. A Probiotic or Probiotic Freeze Dried powder is bought on viable count, on strain identity down to the deposit number, and on how much of that count survives storage and processing. Postbiotics are inactivated, so viability stops mattering and cell count, standardisation and heat tolerance take over.

Yeast based materials form the second group. Yeast Beta Glucan is graded on glucan purity and on whether it is the particulate cell wall form or a soluble fraction. Selenium Enriched Yeast is judged on total selenium and on how much of it is present as organic selenomethionine rather than residual inorganic salt. Fermented Soy Sauce and Fermented Broad Bean sit here as fermentation products used for flavour and amino nitrogen. For anything live, water activity and cold chain decide what actually arrives.