Our Products
Empower yourself from the inside out
Our growing lineup of engineered probiotics is designed to enrich busy lives everywhere.
Pre-Alcohol
Breaks down a toxic byproduct of alcohol called acetaldehyde while you drink and while you sleep — setting you up for a great next morning.
Pre-Alcohol is loved by thousands
World's first genetically engineered probiotic
· Trusted by customers
· GRAS & FDA safety compliant
· Responsibly engineered
· Transparentlylabeled
Other products are different mixes of the same 5+ off-the-shelf vitamins and plant extracts.
We took a different approach. Using biotechnology, we identified a major unwanted byproduct of drinking alcohol-acetaldehyde-and engineered a probiotic to break it down the same way your liver does.
Alcohol produces acetaldehyde
When we drink, our bodies break down alcohol into an unwanted byproduct called acetaldehyde.
That byproduct is largely responsible for how we feel the day after drinking.
Acetaldehyde builds up in the gut
Acetaldehyde forms in two places: the liver and the gut.
The liver produces an enzyme that removes it quickly. But the gut does not. So acetaldehyde builds up and lingers, filtering out into the rest of our body over time.
Pre-Alcohol breaks it down
Pre-Alcohol helps our gut catch up by temporarily adding a probiotic that can break down acetaldehyde.
This probiotic – Bacillus subtilis ZB183™ – has been engineered to produce the same type of enzyme as our liver: one that digests acetaldehyde.
Proudly built with genetic engineering
The ZBiotics team invented the probiotic in Pre-Alcohol – Bacillus subtilis ZB183™ – using genetic engineering.
Our approach to biotechnology is safety-first and grounded in the strictest ethical principles. We build responsibly or we don’t build at all. Pre-Alcohol undergoes rigorous quality testing at every stage, and we transparently publish our findings on our Quality page.
When to use
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Social events
Enjoy the night and be ready for Sunday brunch, a workout, or family time.
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Business outings
Make the most of your 5-9 without worrying about your 9-5.
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Vacation and travel
Savor the drinks, soak in every moment, and wake up ready for your next adventure.
The Problem
Acetaldehyde is an unwanted molecule that can build up in the body when drinking alcohol
Here’s the problem. The body has many biological reactions to drinking alcohol, not all of which are pleasant. The metabolism of alcohol produces a variety of small molecules and cellular responses which, when piled-up, can be hard on your body and throw you off your healthy routine. One of those small molecules is acetaldehyde, an unwanted, toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. Its chemical structure is highly reactive, which means it can interact with a whole host of molecular and cellular components throughout our bodies. But how does alcohol become acetaldehyde?
Analyzing engineered Bacillus subtilis under the microscope.
The liver can fully metabolize acetaldehyde, but the gut isn’t properly equipped to do the same
When you drink, most of the alcohol you consume gets digested in the liver using a two-step process (see diagram). Each step requires a different enzyme produce by your liver.
1.Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) converts ethanol into acetaldehyde by removing hydrogen atoms—a process called oxidation.
2.Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) then further oxidizes acetaldehyde into acetate by adding an oxygen atom, producing a more stable and innocuous compound.
However, some of the alcohol you drink never reaches your liver. Instead, it is metabolized in your gut, in large part by the microbes that reside there. Some microbes in the gut microbiome are equipped with the first enzyme, ADH, and can convert alcohol into acetaldehyde. But in contrast to your liver, they don’t make enough of the second enzyme, ALDH, to convert acetaldehyde into acetate. This is the major cause of acetaldehyde buildup in your body (Salaspuro, 1996).
Thus arises a clear hypothesis: If we can equip the gut microbiome to break down acetaldehyde into acetate, we can support the body’s ability to minimize the buildup of this toxic byproduct. While the liver is fully capable of metabolizing acetaldehyde, the gut is not—and that gap makes this approach especially valuable for those planning to have a drink or two.
Data &
Validation
Our engineered probiotic has been tested in the lab for safety and functionality
Once ZB183™ was built, we needed to ensure that it was safe, and that it worked as intended.
Safety
We subjected ZB183™ to years of laboratory testing and review by America’s top food toxicologists, the results of which confirmed it to be completely safe and FDA-compliant.
Now that we have confirmed our genetically engineered probiotic is safe and works as intended, we make sure this is true of every batch. Pre-Alcohol undergoes rigorous quality testing at every stage, from probiotic biomass to the final product, ensuring safety, purity, and efficacy. We transparently publish our standards for each test on our Quality page.
Functionality
To confirm that ZB183™ worked as intended, we tested its ability to make ALDH and break down acetaldehyde. Over a series of laboratory tests where we compared it to the unedited B. subtilis strain, we confirmed that our Pre-Alcohol Probiotic was highly effective at producing ALDH. We also confirmed that while the control strain broke down almost no acetaldehyde, ZB183™ was able to break down more acetaldehyde than you could ever encounter when drinking.
As scientists we appreciate that every body is different and so there are no silver bullets in biology. Even though we’ve proven that the product can reliably provide the function of helping to metabolize acetaldehyde, we don’t know for sure that it will be perceived as valuable for everyone. However, we do know from customer use data that it does appear to provide a benefit to the vast majority of users (i.e. >95%). And with millions of bottles sold, that’s a lot of happy customers!
ZB183™ was our first proof of concept on a bigger journey to unlock the immense potential of safely and consciously-built genetically engineered microbes.
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You probably have some questions
Check out our FAQs to find answers to common questions and feel free to reach out if you have more.
What is ZBiotics® Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink?
What is ZBiotics® Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink?
Pre-Alcohol is a beverage containing a patented, genetically engineered probiotic (B. subtilisZB183™) that helps you land on your feet the day after drinking alcohol. It’s engineered to break down an unwanted alcohol byproduct calledacetaldehyde– the main culprit behind rough mornings after drinking.
How does Pre-Alcohol work?
How does Pre-Alcohol work?
Pre-Alcohol is designed to replicate the natural process of your liver, but do it in your gut. We took a normal probiotic bacteria you already eat every day, and we bioengineered it to produce the same type of enzyme your liver produces. That enzyme breaks down acetaldehyde – an unwanted byproduct of alcohol that accumulates in your gut when you drink.
Your liver does not have access to your gut. But by drinking Pre-Alcohol, the goal is to augment your gut’s natural ability to digest acetaldehyde while you drink and while you sleep – helping you make the most of the next day. Just remember that Pre-Alcohol does not affect intoxication or make alcohol safer to drink, so always drink responsibly.
When do I drink Pre-Alcohol?
When do I drink Pre-Alcohol?
When you're drinking. The earlier the better.
The probiotic in Pre-Alcohol needs time to “wake up” in your gut, so we say the earlier the better if you can remember it. We drink Pre-Alcohol just before going out – right before our first drink. But it should be active if you drink it any time during the day or evening. So whether it’s a few hours before drinking, right with your first drink, or even if you’ve already enjoyed a round or two, go for it.
How long does 1 bottle of Pre-Alcohol last after I drink it?
How long does 1 bottle of Pre-Alcohol last after I drink it?
The probiotic in Pre-Alcohol is likely to stay in your body for 18-24 hours after you drink it. So one bottle will cover you for a whole day, even if you're starting with brunch mimosas followed by evening plans later on!
Does Pre-Alcohol expire?
Does Pre-Alcohol expire?
Pre-Alcohol expires 18 months after bottling. Check the “BB” (Best-By) date on your bottle or box.
Store Pre-Alcohol at room temperature with the cap on. Do not refrigerate. Do not open it until you’re ready to drink it; opening it could potentially let contaminants from the air into the bottle.
Is Pre-Alcohol FDA-compliant?
Is Pre-Alcohol FDA-compliant?
Yes. Pre-Alcohol is fully FDA-compliant for safety and adheres to all regulatory requirements for sale in the U.S.
Note that FDA compliance is not FDA approval. FDA approval is a process reserved for drug products. Pre-Alcohol is a food/beverage product and has not been approved as efficacious for any purpose by the FDA.
FDA-compliant for safety means that we’ve satisfied all regulatory requirements to ensure Pre-Alcohol is safe and can be legally sold in the United States. That means that all our manufacturing is conducted in an FDA-registered food-grade facility according to Good Manufacturing Practices compliant with 21 CFR 117. It also means that our novel ingredient – Bacillus subtilis ZB183™ – has been extensively tested and is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use.
Does Pre-Alcohol affect my level of intoxication?
Does Pre-Alcohol affect my level of intoxication?
No.
Pre-Alcohol will not affect your level of intoxication. Pre-Alcohol does not decrease your blood alcohol level, nor does it make alcohol any safer.
All the same rules about alcohol safety apply. Don’t get behind the wheel, don't operate heavy machinery, and don't drink too much. Alcohol is still dangerous on its own.
Will Pre-Alcohol change my microbiome?
Will Pre-Alcohol change my microbiome?
That's not how it's designed.
We intentionally designed Pre-Alcohol so that it would not change your microbiome. We purposefully built our probiotic using a base bacteria that is well-adapted to passing straight through you and not colonizing your gut.
This creates a few likely benefits: (1) your microbiome remains unchanged; (2) the interaction between our probiotic and your gut should remain consistent and predictable; and (3) because we’re not trying to change your microbiome, we don’t need to use an excessive amount of probiotic per serving.