Influence of Chitosan Coating on Mechanical Stability of Biopolymer Carriers with Probiotic Starter Culture in Fermented Whey Beverages

Nataša S Obradović,Maja Lj Bulatović,Marica B Rakin,Branko M Bugarski,Marko P Rakin,Tanja Ž Krunić,Kata T Trifković

doi:10.1155/2015/732858

Nataša S Obradović, Maja Lj Bulatović + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/732858

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to improve the mechanical stability of biopolymer carriers and cell viability with addition of chitosan coating during fermentation process and product storage. Dairy starter culture (1% (w/v)) was diluted in whey and mixed with sodium alginate solution and the beads were made using extrusion technique. The mechanical stability of coated and uncoated beads, the release behavior, and the viability of encapsulated probiotic dairy starter culture in fermented whey beverages were analyzed. The mechanical properties of the beads were determined according to force-displacement and engineering stress-strain curves obtained after compression testing. It was observed that addition of chitosan as a coating on the beads as well as the fermentation process increased the elastic modulus of the calcium alginate-whey beads and cell survival. The current study revealed that the coating did not significantly improve the viability of probiotics during the fermentation but had an important influence on preservation of the strength of the carrier during storage. Our results indicate that whey-based substrate has positive effect on the mechanical stability of biopolymer beads with encapsulated probiotics.

Highlights

Probiotic bacteria have been incorporated into a wide range of dairy products and orally administrated in various forms, such as food products, capsules, and tablets
Our results indicate that whey-based substrate has positive effect on the mechanical stability of biopolymer beads with encapsulated probiotics
The probiotic starter culture was successfully encapsulated in uncoated and coated alginate beads prepared by the extrusion method

Summary

Introduction

Probiotic bacteria have been incorporated into a wide range of dairy products and orally administrated in various forms, such as food products, capsules, and tablets. Encapsulation is a valuable method that has been recognized for use in the food industry for increasing the viability and stability of probiotic bacteria against unfavorable environmental conditions during processing and storage [6,7,8,9]. Polysaccharides, such as alginate, chitosan, gellan gum, and κ-carrageenan, are the most commonly used materials for the encapsulation of probiotics [10,11,12,13]. It has a high modulus along with low elongation-at-break but mixing or copolymerizing chitosan with different polymers can influence its morphology and plasticity [21]

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