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Updated: Nov 13, 2025
Author Spotlight: Process Development for the Spray-Drying of Probiotic Bacteria and Evaluation of the Product Quality
Published on: April 7, 2023
Improved viability of Lactobacillus plantarum embedded in whey protein concentrate/pullulan/trehalose hydrogel during
Haiyue Sun1, Minghao Zhang1, Yankai Liu1
1College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China; Jilin Province Innovation Center for Food Biological Manufacture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
Abstract:
In this study, trehalose (TRE) was added to prepare whey protein concentrate (WPC)/pullulan (PUL)/TRE hydrogel and the hydrogel was used as the wall material to improve the viability of encapsulated L. plantarum during freeze drying and storage. The optimum conditions were 5.0 % TRE concentration and 1:4 (v:v) of the ratio of L. plantarum suspension to the hydrogel. Under these conditions, the survival rates of L. plantarum were 94.36 ± 1.06 % after freeze drying and 97.02 ± 0.30 % after storage for 240 d at 4 °C. Interactions and rheological properties of WPC/PUL/TRE hydrogel were also studied. The results showed TRE reduced storage modulus (G') of the hydrogel and weakened hydrophobic interactions, disulfide and hydrogen bonds between proteins and polysaccharides, which was not conducive to hydrogel formation. In addition, the excellent water-holding capacity of WPC/PUL/TRE hydrogel was found by the drying kinetic experiment.
