Which foods and supplements should be kept in the refrigerator?

Which foods should be kept in the fridge and which in the cupboard?

Foods to keep refrigerated

Perhaps it’s obvious but certain foods definitely need to be kept in the fridge (at a temperature normally between 0° and 6°C), and only for a maximum period which depends on the type of food and whether it’s raw or cooked:

• meat;
• fresh fish;
• fresh pasteurised milk.

In addition, foods which aren’t preserved in anything should be kept in the fridge after opening: pasteurised long-life milk, canned food once opened, fruit juices, soups, prepared vegetables, etc.

With regard to eggs, which are admittedly not kept in the chiller cabinet in supermarkets, according to the scientific opinion issued by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in July 2014, “keeping eggs in the fridge is the only way to reduce the increased risk of infection due to extended storage. However, if the sell-by and best-before dates are extended for more than three weeks, the risk increases even if the eggs are refrigerated in shops”. (1)

As for butter and cheese, it comes down to personal taste, preference and habit, as well as external temperature: for optimal preservation, especially in summer, it’s best to keep them refrigerated. In winter, butter and cheese can be kept at room temperature in a suitable container (butter dish, cheese preserver).

Foods that shouldn’t go in the fridge

Conversely, certain foods will lose their flavour, texture or nutritional qualities if kept in the fridge:

• potatoes;
• tomatoes;
• garlic;
• avocados;
• chocolate;
• melon and watermelon;
• cucumber;
• basil;
• bread.

And some foods and condiments which are commonly kept in the fridge can definitely be stored in the cupboard:

• jam and marmalade, even once opened;
• pickles;
• mustard (it’s stronger in the fridge and milder at room temperature – the crust it forms is not a health risk);
• ground coffee.

Dietary supplements: which ones should be refrigerated?

Most dietary supplements are dry products!

Generally speaking, supplements do not need to be kept in the fridge. They are produced from dry extracts and/or oils, which means they have no special storage requirements.

The only recommendation is to keep them in a cool, dry place, away from light to prevent any deterioration in quality.

The nature of some supplements, however, (live organisms in particular), means they keep better and longer when refrigerated.

For probiotics, always opt for the fridge

Like the baker’s yeast you buy in sachets, probiotics are live microorganisms that have been ‘deactivated’ by a process of dehydration. But in this form, probiotics and yeasts can be subject to significant oxidative stress (2).

To reduce this risk, probiotics may be packaged in hermetic blister packs to protect them from oxygen. Compounds such as sorbitol and inulin may also be added to the probiotic formulation for enhanced preservation (3).

Finally, they should ideally be stored in refrigerated conditions prior to dispatch (as SuperSmart does for those probiotics that need it) as well as once they reach you.

In terms of our product range, refrigeration is particularly recommended for the following probiotics:

• Probio Forte (DR Caps™ delayed release, minimal humidity, inulin, airtight blister pack, freeze-dried, refrigerated storage prior to dispatch).
• Candalb (DR Caps™ delayed-release, minimal humidity, inulin, airtight pot, freeze-dried, refrigerated storage prior to dispatch).
• Oral Health (individual sticks, sorbitol, freeze-dried, airtight packaging, refrigerated storage prior to dispatch).
• Lactobacillus reuteri (DR Caps™ delayed-release, minimal humidity, airtight pot, freeze-dried, refrigerated storage prior to dispatch).

Storing aloe vera gel

Obtained from the pulp of the succulent of the same name, aloe vera gel is rich in healthy fatty acids, sterols, organic acids, phenols, etc, and thus offers numerous benefits for health, including the skin (4).

Home-made aloe vera gel is highly susceptible to oxidation and can only be kept for around 10 days in the fridge, or a little longer if you add vitamins E, C or a few drops of essential oil of grapefruit seed.

The aloe vera gel offered by SuperSmart (Organic Aloe Vera), contains citric acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate for maximum storage duration and can therefore be kept in the fridge for a month after opening.

Is it best to keep DIM supplements cold?

A molecule produced when the body digests cruciferous vegetables, Di-indolyl methane (DIM) is a natural metabolite also subject to oxidative stress and should thus be stored at a temperature of between 2° and 8°C (5).

So make sure you refrigerate any supplements that contain DIM, such as Natural Anti Aromatase Support, an enhanced formulation for combatting excess oestrogen production, containing a synergistic combination of DIM, chrysin, extracts of agaricus, naringin, genistein, etc.

Note: it’s completely normal for DIM to turn pink over time – this does not affect its benefits.

Enzymes and refrigeration: a case-by-case approach

Enzymes are proteins which serve as catalysts of certain chemical reactions in the body.

Whether acting as digestive enzymes (which play a role in the digestion of macronutrients and micronutrients) or as metabolic enzymes (which regulate metabolic pathways), the kinetics of thermal denaturation of many enzymes can be significant (from a few hours’ to a few days’ half-life) – even at moderate temperatures such as 20°C.

It’s therefore advisable to keep enzymatic preparations in the fridge (at a temperature of around 3° or 4°C) which will usually ensure stability for several months.

This is the case, for example, with the following supplements:

• Catalase: a natural metabolic enzyme, production of which declines with age, catalase maintains hair pigment, thus delaying the appearance of grey hair (6);
• Pancreatin: pancreatic juice contains three types of digestive enzyme: trypsin, chymotrypsin and pancreatin, which are involved in the digestion of proteins and fatty acids (7);