micro-shield technology

The science

When it comes to probiotics getting through to your gut alive, a little science can go a long way. Our team of food technicians (or probiotic scientists as they prefer) have been working for over 10 years to perfect our secret micro-shield sauce. Maximising our probiotics survival both in our products, and through the stomach for a targeted release in your gut.

It’s all about pH

Living probiotics are a powerful intervention when in the comfort of a relatively neutral pH environment, often found in the gut (6-8 pH).

It’s in the gut where they do their best work, attaching to the intestinal wall, proliferating, and working hard to support the human immune system.

Survival through the stomach

But getting to the gut alive is no easy task for your average probiotics. Subjected to acidic pH levels of 2-3.5 as they journey through the stomach, living probiotic organisms begin to deteriorate.

So much so, that studies have shown 99% of regular, non micro-shield probiotics can die off within the first 30 minutes of exposure to pH 2. Leaving few (if any) to actually reach your intestines.

10,000x stronger

Here’s where those science brains kick in: built to actively resist acidic pH levels, PERKii micro-shield technology provides a protective vessel for our probiotics through the stomach.

Studies show that micro-shield Lactobacillus Casei probiotics have a survival rate of 10,000x or more when subjected to the pH 2. Once in the gut, the shift in pH causes our micro-shield to swells and dissolve, releasing the probiotics inside where they to attach to the intestinal wall and proliferate.

PERKii micro-shield

Made primarily of a natural alginate formula, PERKii micro-shield technology is designed for a targeted in-gut release of living probiotics.

Micro-shield for macro benefits - Inside its natural micro-shield, PERKii probiotics are 10,000x more likely to survive in the stomach, than non-micro-shield probiotic.

In summary, PERKii micro-shield technology is built to:

1. Provide an internal environment that supports the life of our probiotics.
2. Protect the probiotic externally with a wall that is resistant to low PH levels for the journey through the stomach.
3. Swell and dissolve once inside a neutral PH environment, found in the gut.

A University led innovation - The PERKii micro-shield technology was first developed at the University of Queensland. Australia’s leading institution for scientific innovation.

Why chilled drinks?

A great question. Simply put, we’ve developed the perfect place for our probiotics to wait patiently until being consumed. Hint: there’s a real science to it.

All living probiotics need 3 components to survive in a product for a substantial amount of time: moisture, a temperature-controlled environment and nutrients. Every PERKii flavour is specifically developed to provide the first 2, and our micro-shield provides the nutrients our probiotics need for the long journey to your gut.

Temperature controlled environment – The reason you’ll never see PERKii stocked on ambient shelves or inside a kitchen cupboard (like a lot of so-called probiotic products out there)! Exposing living probiotics to temperatures over 4 degrees celsius increases their activity, food consumption and ultimately a drop-off in CFU count.