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Synbiotic Microencapsulation of Lactobacillus Strains from Mexican Fermented Beverages for Enhanced Probiotic
Morayma Ramírez-Damián1, Cynthia Garfias-Noguez1, Luis G Bermúdez-Humarán2
1Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Departamento de Ingeniería Bioquímica, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Av. Wilfrido Massieu 399, Col. Nueva Industrial Vallejo, Alcaldía Gustavo A. Madero, Ciudad de México C.P. 07738, Mexico.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 13, 2025
Summary
Microencapsulation of Lactobacillus strains from Mexican beverages creates synbiotics. This functional food technology enhances probiotic health benefits and stability.
Area of Science:
- Food Science and Technology
- Microbiology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Synbiotics, combining probiotics and prebiotics, offer superior health benefits over individual components.
- Functional foods require advanced technologies for enhanced health delivery and stability.
- Traditional fermented beverages are sources of beneficial probiotic strains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To microencapsulate Lactobacillus strains from Mexican fermented beverages for synbiotic development.
- To evaluate the impact of microencapsulation on probiotic survival, stability, and functional properties.
- To advance functional food technologies using microencapsulation for improved health benefits.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and selection of three Lactobacillus strains: Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LM07, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LM19, and Levilactobacillus brevis LBH1070.
- Spray-drying microencapsulation using maltodextrin, gum arabic, and inulin (prebiotic).
- Assessment of microencapsulation efficiency, probiotic survival, moisture content, water activity, gastrointestinal tolerance, adhesion, and antioxidant activity.
Main Results:
- High survival rates (>90%) and desirable low moisture (~5%) and water activity (~0.3) were achieved post-microencapsulation.
- Microencapsulated probiotics exhibited enhanced tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions.
- Improved adhesion properties and increased antioxidant activity were observed in microencapsulated strains compared to free cells.
Conclusions:
- Microencapsulation is an effective technology for preserving and enhancing probiotic properties.
- The developed synbiotics demonstrate potential for functional foods with improved health-promoting attributes.
- This approach offers enhanced stability, extended shelf life, and room temperature stability for functional ingredients.
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