By Mindy Hermann | May 6, 2026 · 3,5 min read
May 6, 2026 – Postbiotics were recently defined by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) as “a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and or their components that confer a health benefit on the host.” Postbiotics are not a new concept. But interest in postbiotics is growing because they are more stable, reliable, and safe than probiotic strains. Postbiotics offer health benefits in addition to gut health. These include management of stress, relief of anxiety, and support of immunity. The various types of postbiotics – heat-stable, blends of postbiotics, and extracts – are clean label ingredients with applicability for innovation in food and beverages.
Potential to Improve Consumer Understanding of Postbiotics
In consumer trends research conducted by Innova Market Insights, about one-third of consumers globally say they are familiar with postbiotics. This might be because consumers are familiar with similar sounding prebiotics and probiotics. It doesn’t mean that consumers truly understand postbiotics or that they actively seek out postbiotics. In fact, very few social media posts mention postbiotics. However, consumers who are aware of postbiotics also pay attention to them.
Because consumers are not very aware of postbiotics, messaging needs to be simple, easy for them to understand, and focusing on benefits instead of technical terms. Benefits to emphasize can include gut health, stronger immunity, and digestive support. Terms that can help boost understanding of postbiotics are bioactive, derived from probiotics, and fermentation-generated.
Postbiotics Launches Grow But Remain Niche
Food and beverage launches with postbiotic ingredients account for a very small percentage of overall launches. The US leads other countries in launches with postbiotic ingredients, followed by South Korea and then Australia. Each county shows strong growth in postbiotic launches. Supplements are the leading format for postbiotic launches and capsules, powders, and V-caps are the most common supplement types.
Beverages with postbiotic ingredients are on the rise. Examples of key beverage formats are carbonated beverages, iced tea, fermented dairy beverages, and drinking yogurt. It is easy for consumers to incorporate these formats into their daily routine. That is why beverages offer attractive convenience for introducing consumers to postbiotics. Another strategy is to combine postbiotics with the more commonly known prebiotic ingredients and probiotic ingredients.
Claims and Benefits are Associated with Postbiotics
Gut health is the leading claim associated with postbiotics. This follows the path of probiotics for gut health. Consumers also understand that better gut health means better immunity. Several other areas hold promise for postbiotics. As research builds regarding postbiotics and beauty from within, Innova is tracking launches of postbiotics ingredients in skin care products that are supported by clinical applications. Women’s hormonal health through improved gut health is another area for postbiotics. Innova is tracking gut health approaches based on gender and on stage in life. These approaches look at complicated metabolic and hormonal needs that go beyond supplementation. Functional gummies with postbiotics ingredients are positioned for eye health. These offer a solution driven by lifestyle, with scientifically validated postbiotic strains in a convenient gummy format. Fermentation is a process for generating postbiotics that can be important nutritional ingredients.
Innova Monitors Patent Activity for Postbiotic Ingredients
Interest is growing in the scientific community regarding connections between gut health, immunity, and well-being. This interest is helping drive research and patent applications for postbiotic ingredients. Postbiotics have health benefits and they are more stable and safer than probiotics and prebiotics. They feature inactive microorganisms, which is why they are more stable, highly efficient, easy to handle, and easy to add to functional food, beverage, and supplement products. Several players are driving patent activity for postbiotics functional ingredients, including pharma companies, biotech firms, food and ingredient manufacturers, and research centers.
Key industry players are ADM, Fonterra, and Nestlé. ADM uses evidence to create products that meet consumer health expectations. The company offers postbiotics that are suitable for addition to beverages, food, and supplements. Processing challenges such as heat, pressure, and moisture are not an issue with postbiotics. A small company, Chebigen, generates functional postbiotics from plants, using enzymes and fermentation of sprouts, flowers, and berries to generate functional postbiotics. It treats plant extracts with lactic acid bacteria enzymes and creates postbiotics that are enhanced with functional ingredients to help prevent obesity, enhance immune function, and act as antioxidants.
A technology wheel of patent activity shows how postbiotics are expanding as ingredients. They can be a part of food, beverage, and nutraceutical products that are functional and healthy. Their benefits range from better gut health to weight management to boosted immune function to reduction in anxiety.
What’s Next for Postbiotics?
Postbiotics brands need to communicate based on benefits. Explanations should use familiar and simple terms that consumers can understand, like bioactive, fermented, and good bacteria, tying them into the term postbiotics. This will help build awareness, boost consumer trust, and encourage adoption by consumers. Convenient formats that make daily consumption easy are compatible with the stability of postbiotics. Postbiotics that are plant-based and generated through fermentation can be clean label, natural, and vegan. They can rely less on synthetic preservatives. Looking beyond the gut, postbiotics can offer multiple benefits and improve performance. Additional benefits support cognitive health, metabolic health, and beauty, as well as digestive support, reduced inflammation, and metabolic support. Continued research will boost positioning of postbiotics for performance, functional health, and wellness.
This article is based on Innova’s Trending in Postbiotic Claims – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to learn more.
Written by Mindy Hermann