Synbiotic Confections Developed with Agave salmiana Fructans and Microencapsulated Probiotics Preserving High...

Synbiotic confections containing two established probiotics, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis, were formulated with fructans extracted from Agave salmiana as prebiotics. After microencapsulating the probiotics by spray-drying and characterizing the powder obtained, their growth was verified in vitro as well as their viability. Afterward, three marzipan formulations were developed: one similar to a typical confection (F1), while the other two (F2, F3) included 2.3 × 10¹¹ CFU/g of microencapsulated probiotics (MP) and 1.5-2.5 g of prebiotics. The viability of the MP alone and within the confections F2 and F3 was compared at 4, 30, and 45 °C for 60 days. Notably, when they were stored at 30 °C, the time elapsed but still complying with the recommended probiotic concentration of 10⁹ CFU/g was 10.8 days for the MP alone and 18.3 ± 0.6 days within either confection. Moreover, when evaluating the viability under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, the MP alone and within both confections (F2, F3) remained above 9.6 × 10⁹ CFU/g, thus providing a significant protective effect compared to the free probiotics, which decreased to 8.7 × 10⁵ CFU/g. The incorporation of microencapsulated probiotics within an emulsion containing fructans from A. salmiana as proposed in this work contributes to the development of a non-dairy synbiotic functional food stable at room temperature. Regarding their consumption, in a hedonic sensory preference test the confection F2 was the second favored choice for 50 panelists. The formulated confections exhibited unprecedented results in the preparation of a synbiotic, following local regulations and international guidelines for functional foods.