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Advancing Probiotic Delivery in Functional Yogurt: Encapsulation in Prebiotic-Based Matrices
Konstantina Theodora Laina1, Christina Drosou1, Georgia Frakolaki1
1School of Chemical Engineering, Zografou Campus, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou St., 15780 Athens, Greece.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 26, 2025
Summary
This study developed functional yogurt with encapsulated probiotics using electrospraying for enhanced gut health. Electrospraying protected probiotics, ensuring high survival rates and viable counts in the final yogurt product.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Microbiology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Probiotics offer health benefits but require protection against gastrointestinal conditions.
- Functional foods aim to enhance health through specific ingredients.
- Maintaining probiotic viability and efficacy in food matrices is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a functional yogurt enriched with encapsulated probiotics.
- To enhance probiotic stability, bioavailability, and controlled release.
- To ensure viable probiotic cell counts exceed 10^7 CFU/g while preserving sensory quality.
Main Methods:
- Encapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LGG® using prebiotic matrices (inulin, whey protein isolate).
- Comparison of electrospraying (electrohydrodynamic processing) and freeze-drying encapsulation methods.
- Assessment of encapsulation efficiency, structural characterization (SEM), gastrointestinal survival, storage stability, and sensory evaluation.
Main Results:
- Electrospraying yielded the highest probiotic survival rates (up to 76%) under gastrointestinal conditions.
- Encapsulated probiotics maintained viable counts of 1.6-1.8 × 10^7 CFU/g in yogurt.
- Electrosprayed probiotics exhibited denser structures, providing superior protection.
- Functional yogurts demonstrated acceptable sensory characteristics after 60 days of storage.
Conclusions:
- Electrospraying is a promising method for developing functional foods with enhanced probiotic delivery systems.
- This approach can lead to improved health-oriented dairy products with significant probiotic benefits.
- Encapsulation technology is key to overcoming challenges in probiotic stability and efficacy in food applications.
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