Microencapsulation of probiotic cells by means of rennet-gelation of milk proteins

Probiotic cells were microencapsulated in milk protein matrices by means of an enzymatic induced gelation with rennet. Water insoluble, spherical capsules with a volume-based median of 68 ± 5 μm were obtained from a novel developed emulsifying and subsequent internal gelation process. A high encapsulation yield was found due to the encapsulation procedure for Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei F19 and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12. After incubation at low pH-values, microencapsulation yielded higher survival rates compared to non-encapsulated probiotic cells. The viable cell numbers of encapsulated Lactobacillus paracasei and Bifidobacterium lactis were 0.8 and 2.8 log units CFU g−1 higher compared to free cells after 90 min incubation at pH 2.5. The improved survival of encapsulated cells can probably be explained by a higher local pH-value within the protein matrix of the capsules caused by the protein buffering capacity, protecting the cells during incubation under simulated gastric conditions at low pH. The study indicates that rennet-induced gelation of skim-milk concentrates for the microencapsulation of probiotic cells can be a suitable alternative to current available technologies, mainly based on ionotrophic gelation of plant-polymer solutions.