Vol. 7, Issue 1 (2018)

Author(s):
Santosh Anand, Arun Beniwal, Kumar Siddharth Singh and Dipesh Aggarwal

Abstract:
Health stimulating claims attributed to probiotics are dependent on their viability and numbers in the intestinal tract. Probiotics must survive to reach the small intestine and colonize there for appropriate hindrance and control of several gastrointestinal diseases. Microencapsulation is considered to be a promising approach to improve the survival rates of probiotic microorganisms by providing a physical barrier against harsh conditions mainly against acidity, drying during processing, oxygen toxicity and temperature to protect microorganisms and to deliver them into the gut. Encapsulated probiotics also have been found to augment the sensory properties of probiotics containing products. Specific use of the proper encapsulating material for particular probiotic cells determines the efficacy of the process. Development of carbohydrates or protein based protective matrix compatible to probiotics added more robustness in process. Although, none of the methods used for encapsulation fulfills all the criteria for ideal encapsulated technique. Commonly used encapsulation process are liable to structural defects, high performance cost and not scaled up easily in limited duration. In future, development of more genetically robust strains, recognition of potent applications with minimized large scale microencapsulation techniques can up thrust commercialization.