Proven benefits without the cold chain
Unlike living probiotics that require continuous refrigeration to remain functional, postbiotics are heat-treated, inanimate microorganisms and bioactive compounds⁶. They deliver documented digestive, metabolic and immune benefits¹ while remaining completely stable at ambient temperatures. Supplied as a powder with a shelf life of up to 36 months⁵, our postbiotics eliminate cold-chain logistics⁷ and make functional formulation simple across ambient categories.
Versatility across ambient food and drink
As postbiotics can withstand UHT treatment, they open up functional innovation across a range of categories, such as:
• Dairy & plant-based: Ambient drinking yoghurts, plant milks and dairy desserts
• Functional beverages: Fruit drinks, still waters and specialised nutrition
• Food & pet food: Ice cream mixes, processed cheese and pet nutrition Through recipe testing at our Product Development Centres (PDC), we provide ready-tested application concepts to accelerate your launch.
Spain's first still drink with postbiotics
We helped Spanish start-up MoonDrinks develop the first non-dairy still drink with postbiotics in Spain. Working together on formulation with postbiotics for gut health, we created a stable, ambient fruit drink that proved functional beverages do not need carbonation to succeed. Supported by our end-to-end capabilities, the brand expanded rapidly across supermarkets and pharmacies, leading to its acquisition by a pharmaceutical company.
1 Postbiotics are metabolites already present in the gut microbiome, which contains up to 100 trillion micro-organisms. (Digestive health) ES1 Postbiotic (Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347) is ADM’s postbiotic product with documented results in supporting digestive health. (Metabolic health) HT BPL1® has been clinically shown to reduce waist circumference compared to a placebo and results in reduction of visceral fat area and improvement in HOMA-IR scores, compared to baseline. (Immune health): Postbiotic yeast blend with essential minerals from AB Biotek Health supports the normal function of the immune system and protects cells from oxidative stress.
2 Euromonitor, expert interviews, desk research, OC&C analysis – OC&C Strategy Consultants, 2022. Prebiotics are fibres that probiotic bacteria feed on.
3 We would recommend 1 dosage per 250-330ml or 4 in 1L packages. The price calculation is based on supplier cost data for three commercially available postbiotic ingredients – ES1 HT (ADM, with 2.5 billion Bifidobacterium longum ES1™ cells), BPL1 HT (ADM, with 10 billion Bifidobacterium lactis BPL1™ cells) and ABB FB C4 (AB Biotek, with 1.6 billion Saccharomyces boulardii cells) – at recommended dosages per serving, ranging from ~€0.017 to ~€0.042 per serving.
4 Ipsos for Tetra Pak, Quantitative Survey on Health & Nutrition, 2023.
5 Technical sheet at AB Biotek Health (ABB FB C4) states a 36-month shelf life for a postbiotic blend based on Kluyveromyces marxianus ABB S8 and Saccharomyces boulardii ABB S3 (≥ 2.0 x 1010 cells/g). Technical sheet at AMD (TDS-001006HT111-FS) states a 36-month shelf life when stored at ≤ 25ºC for HT Bifidobacterium lactis CECT 8145 (BPL1®). Technical sheet at AMD (TDS-001002HT111-FS) states a 36-month shelf life when stored at ≤ 25ºC for HT Bifidobacterium longum ES1.
6 Salminen S, Collado MC, Endo A, et al. The International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on the definition and scope of postbiotics. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;18(9):649-667. doi:10.1038/s41575-021-00440-6
7 Logistics and storage costs are reduced as no energy-consuming refrigeration is needed for postbiotics.
8 Certification FSSC 22000 which is a complete, global certification scheme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative; GRAS-certified and recognized by both EFSA and FDA.