Probiotics and gut health: what you should know

"Probiotics" is one of the most used and least precisely used words in nutrition. By the WHO/FAO definition, probiotics are live microorganisms that, in adequate amounts, may confer a health benefit, but that has only been shown for specific, defined strains at specific doses. This article explains neutrally what probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics are, what microbiome research actually shows, and why EU law strictly regulates the word "probiotic".

Probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms taken in sufficient amounts. Prebiotics are indigestible fibres, such as inulin, that feed the existing gut flora. Postbiotics are non-living metabolic products of microorganisms. Whether a food contains live cultures at all is the first question, before any talk of benefit.

What the research shows

Whether a probiotic strain can do anything depends on whether it survives stomach acid and reaches the gut in sufficient numbers. That is strain-specific, not true of "probiotics" in general, which is why nutrition science phrases this topic very cautiously. German health insurer AOK notes that much of what manufacturers promised for years was never clearly proven.

Foods that can contain live cultures include yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and unpasteurised kombucha. Pasteurised versions usually contain none.

Why "probiotic" is a legally sensitive word

Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, health claims on foods are prohibited unless authorised by EFSA, and EFSA has not authorised a generic "probiotic" claim. In 2014 Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled that the terms "probiotic" and "prebiotic" alone count as health claims. We think the rule makes sense. It protects people from promises no producer can keep. So we do not call BOUCHE "probiotic kombucha" and make no claims about your gut health.

The BOUCHE approach: facts, not promises

BOUCHE KOMBUCHA ferments fully in a closed tank at our Berlin brewery, with our own liquid SCOBY culture. That is where the live bacteria and yeast do their work. After fermentation the kombucha is centrifuged and, directly after filling, briefly heated (flash stabilisation). This stops fermentation at peak flavour and means the finished bottle contains no live cultures in any meaningful amount.

That is why we do not sell BOUCHE as probiotic, not even indirectly through words like "alive" or "raw". What stabilisation leaves untouched are the organic acids, the tea polyphenols and the aroma. We add the carbonation after fermentation, partly to hold the aroma, and stabilisation keeps the alcohol content reliably between 0.2 and 0.5% vol.

What else we can say: BOUCHE contains organic acids from fermentation such as acetic, gluconic and lactic acid, polyphenols from the tea, is certified organic, plant-based and low in sugar, because most of it is converted during fermentation. How that affects your individual gut flora, nobody can honestly promise, including us.

BOUCHE KOMBUCHA: certified organic, brewed in Berlin, naturally fermented. Shop organic kombucha