Bio Complex Cultures

Alpha01 Bio Cultures Complex is a blend of 20 named live cultures, printed on the pouch as live micro-organisms, in vegan capsules. A two-capsule serving gives 60 billion CFU, 30 billion in each capsule, from L. acidophilus, S. thermophilus, B. bifidum, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum and fifteen more cultures named on the panel, with inulin, a plant fibre, in the blend.

CFU stands for colony-forming units, the count of live cells able to grow, and the panel gives one total for the whole blend of twenty. Two of the names, S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus, are the pair of cultures used to turn milk into yoghurt, and another, B. coagulans, is a culture that forms spores. Our guide, Bio Cultures Complex: 60 Billion or 100 Billion CFU?, explains what the count means, who the twenty names are and how to compare two pouches by count and price.

Take two capsules daily with water, at whatever time suits your day. This pouch of 60 capsules gives 30 servings for £9.99, about 33p a day, and the 100 billion CFU pouch holds the same twenty cultures at a higher count for about 50p a day. The shell is plant-derived hypromellose, the rest of the ingredients list is rice starch and safflower oil, and the storage line on the label is a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, with no mention of a fridge.