Development of a microencapsulated probiotic delivery system with whey, xanthan, and pectin.

Pediococcus pentosaceus is a lactic acid bacterium that has probiotic potential proven by studies. However, its viability can be affected by adverse conditions such as storage, heat stress, and even gastrointestinal passage. Thus, the aim of the present study was to microencapsulate and characterize microcapsules obtained by spray drying and produced only with whey powder (W) or whey powder combined with pectin (WP) or xanthan (WX) in the protection of P. pentosaceus P107. In the storage test at temperatures of - 20 °C and 4 °C, the most viable microcapsule was WP (whey powder and pectin), although WX (whey powder and xanthan) presented better stability at 25 °C. In addition, WX did not show stability to ensure probiotic potential (< 6 Log CFU mL-1) for 110 days and the microcapsule W (whey powder) maintained probiotic viability at the three temperatures (- 20 °C, 4 °C, and 25 °C) for 180 days. In the exposition to simulated gastrointestinal juice, the WX microcapsule showed the best results in all tested conditions, presenting high cellular viability. For the thermal resistance test, WP microcapsule was shown to be efficient in the protection of P. pentosaceus P107 cells. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed that there was no chemical interaction between microcapsules of whey powder combined with xanthan or pectin. The three microcapsules produced were able to protect the cell viability of the microorganism, as well as the drying parameters were adequate for the microcapsules produced in this study.

Functional, thermal and rheological properties of oat ß-glucan modified by acetylation.

Fibers of ß-glucan have been added to foods for their thickening properties, their ability to form gel at low concentrations, but mainly for their appeal in health promotion. Current analysis evaluates the influence of acetylation (4% and 6% acetic anhydride for 10 and 20 min) on the functional, thermal, morphological and rheological properties of the concentrate containing 31% of oat ß-glucan. The degree of substitution of the acetylated ß-glucans ranged from 0.03 to 0.12, suitable for use in foods. Acetylation increased the heterogeneity of molecule degradation and promoted a more compacted hole-less microstructure. Functional properties such as the swelling power and bile acid binding capacity were increased by acetylation. The ß-glucan gel showed a reduction in hardness and adhesiveness, which was confirmed by its rheological behavior similar to liquid. The above information is relevant to establish the industrial application of acetylated ß-glucan.