Investigation of the impact of feeding Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 1815 encapsulated in microbially derived polymers on the rat faecal microbiota

Frontier in gellan gum-based microcapsules obtained by emulsification: Core-shell structure, interaction mechanism, intervention strategies

As a translucent functional gel with biodegradability, non-toxicity and acid resistance, gellan gum has been widely used in probiotic packaging, drug delivery, wound dressing, metal ion adsorption and other fields in recent years. Because of its remarkable gelation characteristics, gellan gum is suitable as the shell material of microcapsules to encapsulate functional substances, by which the functional components can improve stability and achieve delayed release. In recent years, many academically or commercially reliable products have rapidly emerged, but there is still a lack of relevant reports on in-depth research and systematic summaries regarding the process of microcapsule formation and its corresponding mechanisms. To address this challenge, this review focuses on the formation process and applications of gellan gum-based microcapsules, and details the commonly used preparation methods in microcapsule production. Additionally, it explores the impact of factors such as ion types, ion strength, temperature, pH, and others present in the solution on the performance of the microcapsules. On this basis, it summarizes and analyzes the prospects of gellan gum-based microcapsule products. The comprehensive insights from this review are expected to provide inspiration and design ideas for researchers.

Survival of probiotics in pea protein-alginate microcapsules with or without chitosan coating during storage and in a simulated gastrointestinal environment

Pea protein-alginate microcapsules with or without a chitosan coating and containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 and L. helveticus R0052 were produced by extrusion and tested for survivability during storage and in an in vitro gastrointestinal environment. Both microcapsule formulations provided significant protection for cells incubated in synthetic stomach juice at 37°C for 2 h, followed by 3 h in simulated intestinal fluid, relative to non-encapsulated bacteria. However, evaluation of cell viability during 9 weeks of storage at room temperature revealed that chitosan coating significantly improved microcapsule performance compared to non-coated microcapsules. Refrigerated storage had no negative impact on the microcapsule protection ability of both types of microcapsules. Notably, chitosan-containing microcapsules showed much higher bacterial survival counts during challenge tests even after storage. Moreover, the addition of chitosan to the microcapsule formulation did not increase the microcapsule size.