Electrospraying has recently emerged as a novel microencapsulation technique with potential for the protection of probiotics. However, research efforts are still needed to minimize the viability loss observed during the processing of sensitive strains, and to maximize productivity. The aim of the present work was the optimization of the electrospraying conditions for the microencapsulation of a model probiotic microorganism, Lactobacillus plantarum, within a whey protein concentrate matrix. In a pre-optimization step, the convenience of encapsulating fresh culture instead of freeze-dried bacteria was established. Additionally, a surface response methodology was used to study the effect of the applied voltage, surfactant concentration, and addition of a prebiotic to the formulation on cell viability and productivity. Viability losses lower than 1 log10 CFU were achieved and the bacterial counts of the final products exceeded 8.5 log10 CFU/g. The protection ability of the developed structures during storage and in-vitro digestion was also evaluated.

Laura G. Gómez-Mascaraque is recipient of a predoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Call 2013. Russell Cruz Morfin received a scholarship from the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), Call 2014. Gloria Sánchez is supported by the “Ramón y Cajal” Young Investigator program of the MINECO. This work was financially supported by the Spanish MINECO project AGL2012-30647 and by the CSIC project 201470I002.

Peer reviewed