Understanding Probiotics and Their Role in Fermented Foods One vital question to ask is: Are your probiotics live? This is important to ensure you are getting the full benefits from live active cultures.
Probiotics are live microorganisms, typically bacteria or yeast, that provide health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts. These beneficial bacteria support gut health, enhance immune function, and can even improve digestion. You’ll often find probiotics in foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented items. But how do probiotics work, and are they actually live when we eat them? Let’s explore live active cultures.
Are Your Probiotics Live?
Yes, in Kalona SuperNatural Organic Kefirs, Yogurts, and Cultured Buttermilk, the probiotics you consume are live and active cultures. However, not all dairies have live cultures in their products. The process used to prepare the product plays a significant role in this.
Some dairies use a process that involves a post-probiotic kill step. This is when probiotics are added to dairy products (like yogurt or kefir) before the fermentation process, but then the product is subjected to heat after fermentation. This heat treatment essentially kills or reduces the number of live probiotics in the final product. While this may still provide some benefits from the microorganisms’ initial presence during fermentation, it means that many of the beneficial microorganisms won’t survive the heating, meaning fewer live and active cultures.
Kalona Probiotics: Keeping Microorganisms Live
At Kalona, however, we take a different approach. After fermentation, our yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk are chilled down but not heated again. This means that the beneficial microorganisms in these products remain alive. The result? You get the full benefits of live and active cultures in every spoonful or sip, directly supporting your digestive and overall health.
So, when you choose Kalona products, you can trust that the probiotics are live and active, providing you with the maximum benefit from your fermented foods through cultures.
Conclusion
Probiotics are incredibly beneficial for gut health and overall well-being, but it’s important to understand how they’re treated during production. Some brands may use a heat treatment that reduces or kills probiotics, while others, like Kalona, ensure that these microorganisms stay alive, delivering the best health benefits to you. When you’re looking for live probiotics, always check the production methods to ensure you’re getting live and active cultures you expect.