Microencapsulation of Bacterial Cells by Emulsion Technique for Probiotic Application.

Probiotics are dietary concepts to improve the dynamics of intestinal microbial balance favorably. Careful screening of probiotic strains for their technological suitability can also allow selection of strains with the best manufacturing and food technology characteristics. However, even the most robust probiotic bacteria are currently in the range of food applications to which they can be applied. Additionally, bacteria with exceptional functional heath properties are ruled out due to technological limitations. New process and formulation technologies will enable both expansion of the range of products in to which probiotics can be applied and the use of efficacious stains that currently cannot be manufactured or stored with existing technologies. Viability of probiotics has been both a marketing and technological concern for many industrial produces. Probiotics are difficult to work with, the bacteria often die during processing, and shelf life is unpredictable. Probiotics are extremely susceptible environmental conditions such as oxygen, processing and preservation treatments, acidity, and salt concentration, which collectively affect the overall viability of probiotics. Manufacturers have long been fortifying products with probiotics; they have faced significant processing challenges regarding the stability and survivability of probiotics during processing and preservation treatments, storage as well during their passage through GIT. Application of microencapsulation significantly improves the stability of probiotics during food processing and gastrointestinal transit.