Abstract
Fruit juices are successfully proposed as suitable probiotic vehicles, but researchers’ efforts should be developed to avoid effects of bacteria overgrowing on sensory and nutritional cues of final products and to preserve viability of probiotic bacteria during storage. In the present study, encapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG strain in alginate systems was performed through ionotropic gelation technology. The alginate systems were optimized by using Box-Behnken Design to investigate the influence of three independent variables at three different levels: particle mean size and polydispersity index. The optimized probiotic-loaded alginate particles were added to orange juice samples. The viability of the probiotic strain, both as free and microencapsulated, was evaluated in orange juice stored at 5°C for 35 days. Morphology and size of probiotic-loaded alginate particles were found suitable for incorporation into juice. TEM analysis revealed that unloaded systems were clustered as nanoparticles (CL_NP), while the loaded sample appeared as a coated system (Coated_LGG). Microbiological evaluation revealed that the encapsulation assured the survival of Coated_LGG, with a reduction of less than 1-unit log in cellular density after 35 days of refrigerated storage in orange juice. Results indicated that the encapsulated bacteria did not affect the macroscopic properties neither the microbiological characteristic of orange juice; thus, it can be proposed as functional food.
Highlights
The selection of specific parameter was performed based on preliminary tests and on the results reported in literature
Magnetic stirring was kept at 1000 rpm; the dripping distance did not affect the procedure; this parameter was not considered; particle purification was performed at 5000 rpm at 6°C for 30 min
This study was aimed at the preparation of alginatebased system for probiotic delivery into juices
Summary
There was a growing consumer interest in modern food products capable of performing therapeutic and curative features. There is a consistent rise in the demand for functional foods supplemented with probiotics, which are known to improve human health apart from the native nutritional value [1]. Fruits and vegetables have been proven to support the survival of probiotics, thanks to their high sugar and total antioxidant content and relatively low pH values. Probiotic cultures could be added as biomass [8,9] or through direct addition of lyophilized cultures [10].
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