MICROENCAPSULATION OF LACTOBACILLUS FERMENTUM 39-183 BY SPRAY DRYING IN THE PRESENCE OF PREBIOTICS

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of prebiotic substrates on the growth of Lactobacillus fermentum 39-183 and to investigate the utilization of these prebiotic substrates as coating materials for microencapsulation. The cell growth of L. fermentum 39-183 was significantly increased in the presence of fructooligosaccharide,galactooligosaccharide, lactulose and inulin. The microencapsulation of L. fermentum 39-183 cells was carried out by spray drying process using the selected prebiotic substrates and the enteric coating material, whey protein. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the particles showed a spherical shape and various sizes between 9.17 and
10.37 µm. During the storage up to 75 days at 25 ºC, powders consisting of WP and FOS afforded better protection to probiotic lactobacilli. Survival rate of L. fermentum 39-183 inpowder A2 (WP+FOS) was higher than 50% when compared to the powder produced only with whey protein (A1). Using whey as a bacterial substrate and the health benefits associated with both prebiotics and probiotics, it is possible that these powders could be tailored for use in functional food applications.

Keywords: Fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, inulin, icroencapsulation, probiotics