Science and Technology Innovation Center January 19, 2024
1. Choose an approved strain
The "List of Bacteria that Can Be Used in Infant and Young Children's Foods" updated by the Food Safety Standards and Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the National Health Commission on August 25, 2022, is as follows: (Look for these 14 "ID card" bacteria)
2. The number of viable bacteria should be sufficient
Only when the number of viable probiotics reaches a sufficient number can they colonize and reproduce in the intestines more effectively? The viable bacterial count of a product is usually stated on the outer packaging. The "Regulations on the Evaluation of Probiotic Health Foods" stipulates that the number of viable bacteria should not be less than 106 CFU/mL, which is one million per gram. It should be more or less according to this standard.
3. Ensure that live bacteria reach the intestines directly
The strains must be resistant to gastric acid and bile to pass through the digestive tract smoothly and safely reach the intestines to exert their effects; you can choose products with good packaging technology to more effectively ensure the effectiveness of probiotics.
4. Those containing prebiotics are better
Prebiotics are food for probiotics. Probiotics that come with dry food have a higher chance of survival. Probiotics, when fed with prebiotics, also play a key role in regulating the human intestine. It is very good to add prebiotics to probiotics. When there are enough probiotics in the intestine, it can effectively promote intestinal peristalsis and maintain the balance of intestinal microecology.
5. It is recommended to choose powder
Powdered probiotics are mostly based on freeze-dried probiotic raw powder and compounded with prebiotics and other raw materials. Probiotic freeze-dried raw powder is processed using freeze-drying technology. Many manufacturers will also add microcapsule embedding technology and low-water and low-oxygen protection technology based on freeze-drying technology to fully ensure the activity of the strains.
Under the protection of this technology and properly stored, probiotics can be preserved for ten years or even longer. The "Probiotic Health Food Application and Review Regulations (Draft for Comments)" released in 2019 states: "The production of probiotic health food live bacteria products in liquid form is not encouraged."