Guide
Probiotics without fillers: reading the other ingredients
What counts as a filler, how to read other ingredients, and what our label does and does not say about vegan, dairy and allergens.
"Filler" is not a defined term on a supplement label, so read the Other ingredients line instead. Ours lists two: cellulose, which is the vegetable capsule, and brown rice flour. Whether a probiotic is vegan or dairy-free also depends on what the cultures were grown on, which most labels, including ours, do not print.
What "other ingredients" can include
The Supplement Facts panel lists what is in a serving; the Other ingredients line lists everything else. In a probiotic that is usually the capsule shell, a carrier or flow agent, and sometimes sweeteners, fibres or flavours. Check it for the things you want to avoid: gelatin, sugar or sweeteners, maltodextrin, added fibre (such as FOS or inulin), titanium dioxide, dairy, soy, and any allergen. A "Contains" line, where present, names major allergens.
Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free probiotics
Four separate checks: the capsule (vegetable cellulose or gelatin), the carrier, the allergen line, and the culture's growth medium. The last is the one labels leave out. Our label prints a vegetable capsule and no dairy ingredient, but it does not say what the 13 organisms were grown on, and it does not carry a vegan, dairy-free or gluten-free claim, so we do not make one. If you need one of those, ask the maker for written confirmation before you buy.
How our label reads
Electric Tiger Probiotic 20 Billion CFU: 20 billion CFU at the time of manufacture per capsule, from 13 listed organisms, in one 317 mg row (species only), plus cellulose (vegetable capsule) and brown rice flour. No sugar, sweetener, maltodextrin, added fibre or titanium dioxide is listed. None of the 13 listed organisms is a yeast. The panel prints no "Contains" allergen line; if you have a food allergy, read the full ingredient list. The label gives no purpose for the brown rice flour. Daily Value is not established.
Questions people ask
Can you take probiotics with or without food?
A laboratory model of the human stomach and upper gut found one four-microbe capsule survived best when taken with or just before a meal, and poorly 30 minutes after one; those were different strains from ours and a lab model, not a trial in people. Our directions say one capsule daily with 6–8 oz of water and name no mealtime. See the best time to take probiotics.
Are there probiotics without dairy, milk, lactose or yogurt?
Ours lists no dairy ingredient, but the growth medium is not printed. See above.
Are there probiotics without refrigeration?
Ours says store cool and dry, and does not require refrigeration on the label. We found no head-to-head study of shelf-stable against refrigerated products to cite.
Are there probiotics without sugar, xylitol, maltodextrin, FOS, titanium dioxide, gelatin or yeast?
None of those is on our Other ingredients line, and the vegetable capsule is not gelatin. Check any other product's line for itself.
What about histamine, vitamin K or pineapple?
Our label lists none of these, and we hold no data on histamine from the listed organisms. Ask a clinician if histamine matters to you.
Can I get probiotics without supplements, or without pills?
Fermented foods are made through desired microbial growth, and ISAPP says they are a different category from probiotics, so a food's live cultures are not automatically a probiotic dose. For other forms see probiotics gummies and powder and liquid.
Are there probiotics without toxins?
We hold no certificate of analysis, so we make no testing claim. Ask any maker for theirs.
Sources
- The impact of meals on a probiotic during transit through a model of the human upper gastrointestinal tract In a lab model of the upper gut, a four-microbe capsule survived best when taken with or just before a meal, and worst 30 minutes after one.
- The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on fermented foods Experts define fermented foods by how they are made, and say they are not the same thing as probiotics.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
