Drinkable Bio-K+ is like no other probiotics on the market. It’s a big statement to make. But it’s true. While other companies concern themselves with how many strains they can get into their products and how high they can get the CFU counts, our approach is more like that of proud parents: everything we do is to ensure our three strains of bacteria are growing and thriving. Our rigorous manufacturing process and on-site research teams are continuously observing, learning, and optimizing conditions for the three unique bacteria strains that are our ‘children’. Do they have enough food to grow? Have they learned how to work synergistically together? Are they too warm or too cold? After 20 years of creating the number one pharmacist recommended probiotic, you would think we would take a break from these questions, but do parents ever stop worrying about their kids? We’re the same. Our commitment to creating the best probiotic never rests. We are constantly making sure our bacteria like their environment, have the resources they need to thrive, and the energy to make it on their own when they leave the nest (aka bottle) and head out into the big bad world known as your digestive tract. The reason we put so much effort into their wellbeing is that our bacteria are living organisms. We aren’t just mixing a powdered probiotic with a liquid and sending it on its way as a product. We add our live & active bacteria to a liquid substrate and allow them to grow and ferment right inside the bottle. Why do we do this? We call it the ‘Live Difference’. It’s a pretty rigorous (and scientific process) that ensures our bacteria are never tired, stressed, or damaged, but instead well-adjusted, strong, and healthy so they can work together to create real change in the biodiversity of your intestinal tract. Let’s take a look at the impressive scientific process that happens at the state of the art labs at the Bio-K+ office. Start with Our Liquid Substrate As a company very focused on digestive health, we wanted to create a product line that was inclusive for a wide-variety of dietary preferences. Drinkable Bio-K+ comes in both dairy and non-dairy (organic brown rice, soy, pea & hemp) formats, all of which are certified gluten-free. To start the process, we take a powdered form of our liquid substrate and rehydrate in our sterile containers. Why not just start with a liquid? A liquid is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. We need to ensure that we keep conditions optimal for the growth of our bacteria, and not any other unwanted organisms that could impact the final product. Add Our Three Unique Bacteria At Bio-K+ we use 3 strains of bacteria that are unique to us. By the time we are ready to add our bacteria to the liquid, they have been growing together for 14-days. Going back to our parent analogy – our three bacteria are like ‘siblings’. We don’t want siblings that are fighting with each other. Raising our ‘children’ to play nice means giving them some time to grow together - it allows them to get to know each other right from their very beginning. This is what gives Bio-K+ a synergistic effect. Our bacteria aren’t competing with each other for the same job, they’ve learned how to work together, to increase your good bacteria, reduce your bad bacteria, and ensure optimal conditions for their growth. But this addition is only the beginning. Once the bacteria and the liquid have been mixed together, everyone heads to the bottling room for the real magic. Fermented Magic After each bottle of drinkable Bio-K+ is filled, sealed, and labelled, it heads to a toasty chamber where the temp is 37.5°C – here the bacteria can ferment and grow, in conditions that mirror the human body. This is the magic. A probiotic is useless and won’t change the balance of your internal microflora if it can’t grow and thrive inside your body. Allowing our bacteria to grow in these conditions ensures their bioactivity right from your first sip all the way through your digestive tract. The in-bottle fermentation also creates additional metabolites and health-promoting properties that make Bio-K+ a 100% unique probiotic formula. The fermentation process continues for 12-20 hours until we reach the magic number (an inside secret!) that we know guarantees 50 billion CFU all the way to the product expiry date. Time for A Nap After we hit the magic number, it’s time to chill our bacteria down, and put them into a dream-like state, so they stop their rapid growth. At this point, our bacteria are strong, healthy and have the energy to grow and do their job once they enter your body. We stop the fermentation process right at the ‘sweet spot’: a research-proven dosage of bacteria, combined with enough resources to ensure the bacteria stay alive and healthy through their entire journey. Each bottle of Bio-K+ is cooled down in our refrigerator and kept chilled from our warehouse to the store, to your home. When you drink a bottle of Bio-K+ (or add it to a smoothie, or no-bake recipes), the bacteria wake up again, starting right in the warm conditions of your mouth. Since the bacteria are strong and full of energy, all 50 billion make it through the harsh acidic environment, right through to your large intestine. Instant bioactivity to grow, flourish and make a real difference in your microbiome, and your digestive health. So, there you have it. Every bottle of drinkable Bio-K+, from our adult to our Kidz line, dairy and non-dairy formulas, go through the same process (with a few tweaks to ensure our bacteria are optimized to thrive in the different formulas). We’re a little obsessive about making sure our bacteria are living up to their potential, but again, it makes us like no other probiotic on the market! If you’re looking to stock up on Bio-K+, head to our store locator. For more information on Bio-K+, probiotics and digestive health, contact us, find us on Facebook and Instagram or join our community.
