Probiotic + Prebiotic (Synbiotic)

A synbiotic is not simply a probiotic with fibre added. The 2020 ISAPP consensus (Swanson et al., Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology) defines it as a mixture comprising live micro-organisms and substrate(s) selectively utilised by host micro-organisms. That definition splits the category in two: a complementary synbiotic pairs a probiotic and a prebiotic that each stand on their own evidence, while a synergistic synbiotic picks the substrate specifically for the strain travelling with it. Thovek builds both routes to the buyer's brief and supplies them as filled capsules, single-dose stick sachets or as a bulk blend for the buyer's own filling line. Strains are drawn from the list approved under Schedule VII of India's FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use...) Regulations, 2016 - Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus thermophilus, spore-forming Bacillus coagulans, the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, and Lactobacillus together with the genera split out of it in the 2020 reclassification by Zheng et al., which broke the old genus into 25 genera including Lactiplantibacillus, Lacticaseibacillus, Limosilactobacillus, Levilactobacillus and Ligilactobacillus. Every organism is declared to its strain designation rather than species alone, because that is what the regulation and the buyer's label both require. FSSAI sets a floor of 10^8 CFU in the recommended daily serving and caps adult prebiotic intake at 40 g per 2000 kcal per day. Potency is set with a manufacturing overage so the printed CFU still holds at the end of the stated shelf life; low water activity, a desiccant and a foil-laminate moisture barrier carry the rest of that burden. Allergen and origin status is formulation-specific and has to be confirmed lot by lot, because it is decided by the fermentation medium rather than by the organism. Many lactic acid bacteria are propagated on dairy-derived media, which can leave residual milk protein unless a dairy-free medium is specified at order stage; soy peptone is the second common medium component. The capsule shell decides the vegan claim - HPMC for vegan and vegetarian, gelatin for bovine or porcine. No fish, crustacean, egg or nut material enters the process. Each lot ships with a CoA giving viable count by plate count, strain identity by sequencing, moisture and water activity, and a signed allergen and origin declaration.