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Received: 25 August 2021
Received in revised form: 1 December 2021
Accepted: 16 February 2022
Keywords
raw carob bean gum (LBG), probiotic bacteria, fermentation, microencapsulation, targeted release
Abstract
For the first time, this study presented the use of raw locust bean gum (LBG) as a prebiotic, with one probiotic strain in synbiotic fermented milk or combined with Na-alginate as a biopolymer, for a targeted release of bacteria under colon-like conditions. For this purpose, the fermentative characteristics (biomass, pH), bacterial survival, and developed viscosities of the stored fermented milks were determined. The survival rates of microencapsulated bacteria using the emulsion technique under simulated gastrointestinal conditions (stomach: pH 2 + 0.3% pepsin; colon: pH 6.5 + 1% pancreatin + 0.3% bile) were also evaluated. Results showed that all the tested bacteria maintained better biomass and acidifying activities in the presence of LBG, especially at 2%. During cold storage, the viscosities of the LBG-fermented milks were regulated and better appreciated, especially at 2%. Lactobacillus rhamnosus LbRE-LSAS and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb12 microencapsulated separately in Ca-alginate-raw carob gum maintained good survival rates (51 - 66%) as compared to free cells (21 - 59%) under simulated digestive conditions, and were released under colon-like conditions. Therefore, the formulation of LBG-enriched fermented milks containing probiotic bacteria could represent a very good candidate for industrial application. Ca-alginate-raw LBG beads for the specific release of probiotics in the colon could benefit consumers with celiac disease or other digestive disorders because LBG is naturally gluten-free.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/ifrj.29.4.15 © All Rights Reserved
Introduction
In recent years, the growing popularity of foods that are supposed to be good for our health, also known as functional foods, has led to an explosion of probiotic fermented milk markets worldwide (Ávila et al., 2020). In fact, several studies have been devoted to probiotics, and their results indicate their capacities to improve intestinal balance and prevent certain intestinal and inflammatory diseases (Srutkova et al., 2015; Kerry et al., 2018). At the same time, the application of probiotics in different food products has been widely studied. This interest is partly due to the growing awareness and concern about food allergies and intolerances. Nowadays, probiotics are introduced in a wide range of food products with probiotic claims, starting with...