Microencapsulation of probiotics and its applications

Abstract

Probiotics are the live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Research has indicated that probiotics provide various health benefits to consumers such as reduction in different forms of diarrhoea, antimutagenic effect, alleviation of lactose intolerance and immunomodulation. But these effects are considered to be strain dependent and also depend on a number of other technological factors. For any organism to be considered as probiotic, it must survive the upper gastrointestinal (GI) passage tract and must remain viable at the site of its action, and it must be able to function in the gut environment. Various techniques have been applied to enhance viability of probiotics, and encapsulation is a method whereby the organism is entrapped in a matrix so that it can withstand passage of GI tract. The chapter provide various aspects of microencapsulation in probiotics.