PREPARATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF CO-ENCAPSULATED PROBIOTICS IN PREBIOTIC MATRIX
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Date
2022
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ICAR-NDRI, KARNAL
Abstract
The present research work was carried out with the aim of preparation of probiotic
microcapsules, in order to study the effects of simulated gastrointestinal conditions on their
viability, and evaluation of probiotic potential with respect to antimicrobial activity and
exopolysaccharide (EPS) production. L. reuteri SW-23 and L. salivarius RBL-50,
previously isolated and characterized for probiotic potential were selected for this work.
The following five groups were designed for this study: control (free probiotic cells), T1
(alginate coated probiotics), T2 (inulin incorporated-alginate coated probiotics), T3
(alginate-chitosan coated probiotics), and T4 (inulin incorporated-alginate-chitosan coated
probiotics). Both the probiotic strains were encapsulated separately using the extrusion
technique of microencapsulation. The size of the microcapsules was largest in T4, followed
by T3, T2, and T1 (p<0.05). The highest encapsulation efficiency was reported in T3,
followed by T1, T4, and T2 (p<0.05). At the end of sequential exposure to simulated gastric
fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), T4 maintained the highest probiotic
viability, followed by T3, T2, T1, and control (p<0.05). The production of
exopolysaccharide (EPS) was found to be similar in all the groups (p>0.05). The
antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogens S. typhi, S. arizonae, and E. coli was
also not influenced by any treatments and a similar inhibition zone was reported in the case
of all the groups (p>0.05). The activity of the enzyme beta-galactosidase after exposure to
gastrointestinal conditions was found to be highest in control, followed by T1, T2, T3, and
T4 (p<0.05). Overall, the results concluded that compared to unencapsulated free cells,
encapsulation of probiotics was highly effective in providing protection to the entrapped
cells against the harsh gastrointestinal environment without altering their metabolic and
functional activities. The best result was observed in alginate-chitosan-coated probiotic
microcapsules co-encapsulated with the prebiotic inulin, with the successful delivery of
the probiotic cells at a recommended dose at the colonic target site.