Encapsulation of probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 in alginate-galbanum (Ferula Gummosa Boiss) gum microspheres and evaluation of the survival in simulated gastrointestinal conditions in probiotic Tahini halva

Date yogurt supplemented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus (ATCC 53103) encapsulated in wild sage (Salvia macrosiphon) mucilage and sodium alginate by extrusion: The survival and viability against the gastrointestinal condition, cold storage, heat, and salt with low pH

The efficacy of probiotics in providing health benefits may be related to their ability to survive at a sufficient concentration of 106 CFU/g during storage in food and colonization in the gastrointestinal tract. Microencapsulation is a viable method to improve the survivability of probiotics under harsh environmental conditions. In this research, microencapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (MLR) was produced by a two-layer extrusion technique with sodium alginate and wild sage (Salvia macrosiphon) mucilage (SMM) in varying concentrations ranging from 0.2% to 0.8% as the first and second wall materials, respectively. The microencapsulation efficiency and second layer diameter of beads increased significantly with the increase in SMM concentrations. Microencapsulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR) maintained its minimal concentration (6 log CFU/g) during 9 min at 72°C. The MLR-date yogurt (DY) sample had the lowest pH, highest acidity, and highest survival rate among the others at the end of storage. In simulated gastrointestinal conditions (SGC), the survival rates of free LR (FLR) and MLR were 45% and 47% on the 14th day of storage, respectively. In sensory properties, MLR had the highest score in odor and texture parameters but not in others. The MLR viscosity (666.3 mPa·s-1) and SEM images show a relatively denser structure for MLR. In conclusion, this study emphasized the potential of using double-layered beads to protect probiotics, providing valuable inspiration for developing new functional foods with higher survival ability in harsh conditions.

Encapsulation of Probiotics within Double/Multiple Layer Beads/Carriers: A Concise Review

An increased demand for natural products nowadays most specifically probiotics (PROs) is evident since it comes in conjunction with beneficial health effects for consumers. In this regard, it is well known that encapsulation could positively affect the PROs' viability throughout food manufacturing and long-term storage. This paper aims to analyze and review various double/multilayer strategies for encapsulation of PROs. Double-layer encapsulation of PROs by electrohydrodynamic atomization or electrospraying technology has been reported along with layer-by-layer assembly and water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) double emulsions to produce multilayer PROs-loaded carriers. Finally, their applications in food products are presented. The resistance and viability of loaded PROs to mechanical damage, during gastrointestinal transit and shelf life of these trapping systems, are also described. The PROs encapsulation in double- and multiple-layer coatings combined with other technologies can be examined to increase the opportunities for new functional products with amended functionalities opening a novel horizon in food technology.

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Nano-probiotics Versus Free Probiotics Against Gastrointestinal Pathogenic Bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria and the oxidative stress related to their infections are dangerous health problems. Finding new safe, effective antibacterial and antioxidant agents is an urgent global need. Probiotics are a strong candidate for possible antibacterial and antioxidant agents. The delivery of these probiotics without any effect on gastrointestinal digestion is the most important point for their application. The encapsulation of the probiotics on nanoparticles or other supports is a well-known method for the safe delivery of the probiotics. Little information is known about the effect of the probiotic encapsulation on its antibacterial and antioxidant activity. The present study tried to investigate the effect of probiotic encapsulation on nano-chitosan on its antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity against some pathogenic bacteria. We encapsulated some known probiotic species on nano-chitosan and investigated the antibacterial activity of the nano-probiotics and free probiotics against gastrointestinal pathogenic bacteria. The antioxidant characters of the free and encapsulated probiotics were investigated in terms of DPPH radicle scavenging activity, ferric ion chelating activity, hydroxyl radicle scavenging activity, superoxide anion radicle scavenging activity, and anti-lipid peroxidation activity. Results showed the superiority of the encapsulated probiotics as antibacterial and antioxidant agents over the free ones. The encapsulation improved the antibacterial activity of Sporolactobacillus laevolacticus against Bacteroides fragilis by 134% compared to the free one. Also, significantly, the encapsulation increased the hydroxyl radicle scavenging activity of Enterococcus faecium by about 180% compared to the free one. Nano-chitosan encapsulation synergistically increased the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the studied probiotics. This can be promising for controlling pathogenic bacteria.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12088-023-01140-2.