Think of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium as tiny, fuzzy bears. When winter comes (aka your freezer), they don’t throw in the towel. They just curl up, slow down their metabolism, and wait for the spring thaw.
Freezing pauses their activity—it doesn’t erase them. So, when you eventually defrost that yogurt, most of the bacteria wake up, stretch their microscopic legs, and get back to work.
But wait—won’t the ice crystals hurt them?
Great question! Ice crystals can be a bit rude. If the yogurt freezes and thaws too quickly or repeatedly, those crystals can poke holes in the bacterial cell walls, which might reduce their numbers a bit. But here’s the good news: most studies show that the majority survive just fine.
One study found that after a month in the freezer, yogurt still had millions of live bacteria per gram. That’s still plenty to give your gut a high-five. So unless you’re some sort of super-picky bacteria-counting scientist, you’re golden.
