MELBOURNE, Australia—Encapsulating probiotic bacteria may result in better survival of the bacteria when exposed to acidic conditions and high-bile salt concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract, according to a study published in the Journal of Food Science.
As reported by IFT, researchers used 10 probiotic bacteria and encapsulated them in various coating materials. The acid tolerance of probiotic organisms was tested at pH2 over a two-hour incubation period; bile tolerance was tested with taurocholic acid over an eight-hour incubation period. Free probiotic organisms were used as a control.
The researchers found that all probiotic organisms tested showed a gradual loss in viability when exposed to acidic conditions, although the encapsulated bacteria survived better than the control group. Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. salivarius were the most acid-tolerant strains.
“Microencapsulation may prove to be an important method of improving the viability of probiotic bacteria in acidic food products to help deliver viable bacteria to the host’s gastrointestinal tract,” the researchers wrote. “Furthermore, the various encapsulating materials in particular xanthan gum and carrageenan gum appeared to be as effective as alginate in protecting probiotic cells from harsh environmental conditions.”