A synbiotic multiparticulate microcapsule for enhancing inulin intestinal release and Bifidobacterium...

A novel synbiotic multiparticulate microparticle was produced in the current study to expand the synbiotic industrial applications. Initially, the inulin was fabricated into PLGA nanoparticles. After the inulin entrapment efficiency was boosted to reach 92.9 ± 8.4% by adjusting the formulation parameters, the developed particles were characterized by different techniques such as particle size analyzer, TEM, and TLC. The obtained data showed that the particle size was 115.8 ± 82.7 nm, the particles had smooth surface and round shape, and the fabrication procedure did not affect the integrity of the inulin. Later, the inulin loaded nanoparticles together with selected Bifidobacterium species were double coated with gum arabic and alginate. The maximum survivability of the encapsulated Bifidobacterium in the simulated gastric solution reached 88.29% of the initial population, which was significantly higher than the survivability of the free bacteria. Finally, the inulin release from the multiparticulate microparticles was studied and found to be sustained over three days.