Freeze-dried alginate-silica microparticles as carriers of probiotic bacteria in apple juice and beer

Herein the survivability of free and encapsulated Lactobacillus. rhamnosus GG (LGG) in alginate or in alginate-silica microcarriers was investigated upon storage in apple juice and 5vt% beer at 4 °C. This study showed that the encapsulation approach utilized herein limits the release of the bacteria over time into the beverages, with core-shell alginate-silica beads being more efficient than alginate beads alone. Additionally, the statistical analyses showed a p < 0.001 for apple juice and p < 0.005 for beer when comparing the viability of alginate vs silica-coated beads at the 1 week time point in both, the filtrate and inside the carriers. This is of particular importance for the further delivery of bacteria to the intestines, to which encapsulation generally appears to be beneficial during the gastrointestinal passage.