Nanomaterial-based encapsulation for controlled gastrointestinal delivery of viable probiotic bacteria

Probiotics are microorganisms that have beneficial health effects when administered in adequate dosages. The oral administration of probiotic bacteria is widely considered beneficial for both intestinal as well as systemic health but its clinical efficacy is conflicted in the literature. This may at least in part be due to the loss of viability during gastrointestinal passage resulting in poor intestinal delivery. Microencapsulation technology has been proposed as a successful strategy to address this problem by maintaining the viability of probiotics, thereby improving their efficacy following oral administration. More recently, nanomaterials have demonstrated significant promise as encapsulation materials to improve probiotic encapsulation. The integration of nanotechnology with microencapsulation techniques can improve the controlled delivery of viable probiotic bacteria to the gut. The current review aims at summarizing the types of nanomaterials used for the microencapsulation of probiotics and showing how they can achieve the delivery and controlled release of probiotics at the site of action.