Probiotics and plant extracts: a promising synergy and delivery systems.

There is a current interest in healthy diets and supplements, indicating the relevance of novel delivery systems for plant extracts rich in bioactive compounds and probiotics. This simultaneous delivery system can be prospective for health. In this sense, investigating foods rich in bioactive compounds or supplemented by them for incorporating probiotics and some approaches to improve probiotic survivability, such as the choice of resistant probiotic strains or microencapsulation, is valuable. This review addresses a brief discussion about the role of phenolic compounds, chlorophyll and carotenoids from plants and probiotics in gut health, indicating the benefits of this association. Also, an overview of delivery systems used in recent studies is shown, considering their advantages for incorporation in food matrices. Delivery systems containing compounds recovered from plants can reduce probiotic oxidative stress, improving survivability. However, investigating the beneficial concentration of some bioactive compounds from plant extracts is relevant due to their antimicrobial potential. In addition, further clinical trials and toxicological studies of plant extracts are pertinent to ensure safety. Thus, the recovery of extracts from plants emerges as an alternative to providing multiple compounds with antioxidant potential, increasing the preservation of probiotics and allowing the fortification or enrichment of food matrices.

Chemopreventive Properties of Extracts Obtained from Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora Berg.) in Combination with Probiotics.

The association of probiotics and fruit extracts may influence the chemopreventive effect of colorectal cancer. In this context, antiproliferative activity was evaluated to select the best extracts that would be added probiotics, after addition of Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus in the extracts the antiradical and antioxidant activity, quinone reductase (QR) assay and apoptosis assay were evaluated. Four extracts were isolated: E1: rich in total phenolic compounds; E2: rich in water-soluble phenolic compounds; E3: rich in most apolar phenolic compounds and E4: rich in anthocyanins. The antiproliferative results showed that the best extracts for blueberry and jabuticaba were, respectively the extract E4 and E2. After addition of the probiotic bacteria in these best extracts, it was observed that E2 from jabuticaba presented significantly higher antiradical and antioxidant activity values compared to E4 from blueberry before and after addition of probiotics. There was also a 9-fold increase in activity of QR by the E2 from jabuticaba with Lactobacillus (JL). Likewise, this same extract showed a significant increase both in apoptotic and necrotic cells for both cells. In conclusion, extract rich in water-soluble phenolic compounds (E2) from jabuticaba presented a greater chemopreventive effect compared to the others.

Study of anticancer properties of proanthocyanidin-rich cinnamon extract in combination with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BLC1 and resistance of these free and co-encapsulated materials under in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BLC1) and proanthocyanidin-rich cinnamon extract (PRCE) have many beneficial health properties. However, they are very sensitive materials; co-encapsulation is one alternative to protect them. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the anticancer properties of free PRCE and in combination with BLC1 and the resistance of these free and co-encapsulated materials under in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions. In terms of anticancer proprieties, PRCE had an IC50 value close to 30 mg extract/mL for Hepa 1c1c7 and HT-29 cells and resulted in a significantly higher percentage (p ≤ 0.05) of total apoptotic and necrotic cells compared to treatment in combination with BLC1 (PRCE + BLC1), with values above 31.66% in both cells. For the quinone reductase (QR) assay, there was a significant increase only for PRCE + BLC1 treatment, with a fold induction of 5.11 ± 0.56 for HT-29. The resistance of the encapsulated materials was greater than for the free form after 240 min of simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The combination of these materials in a microcapsule is advantageous because it protects them under gastrointestinal conditions, allowing them to be released into the intestine and act in the early stages of colon cancer.

Sugarcane Juice with Co-encapsulated Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BLC1 and Proanthocyanidin-Rich Cinnamon Extract.

Bioactive compounds are sensitive to many factors, and they can alter the sensory characteristics of foods. Microencapsulation could be a tool to provide protection and allow the addition of bioactives in new matrices, such as sugarcane juice. This study focused on producing and evaluating the potential function of probiotics and proanthocyanidin-rich cinnamon extract (PRCE), both in free and encapsulated forms when added to sugarcane juice. The pure sugarcane juice treatment T1 was compared with other sugarcane juices to which bioactive compounds had been added; T2, a non-encapsulated Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (BLC1); T3, a non-encapsulated BLC1 and PRCE; T4, BLC1 microcapsules; and T5, with BLC1 and PRCE microcapsules. The samples were morphologically, physicochemically, rheologically, and sensorially characterized. Samples were also evaluated regarding the viability of BLC1 during the juice's storage at 4 °C. It was possible to produce probiotic sugarcane juice with non-encapsulated BLC1, but not with the addition of free PRCE, which in its free form reduced the viability of this microorganism to < 1 log CFU/mL after 7 days. The microcapsules were effective to protect BLC1 during juice storage and to maintain high contents of phenolic and proanthocyanidin compounds, although the products containing these had their viscosity altered and were less accepted than either the control or those with non-encapsulated BLC1.

Microencapsulation: concepts, mechanisms, methods and some applications in food technology / Microencapsulação: conceitos, mecanismos, métodos e algumas aplicações em tecnologia de alimentos

Microencapsulation is a process in which active substances are coated by extremely small capsules. It is a new technology that has been used in the cosmetics industry as well as in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and food industries, being used in flavors, acids, oils, vitamins, microorganisms, among others. The success of this technology is due to the correct choice of the wall material, the core release form and the encapsulation method. Therefore, in this review, some relevant microencapsulation aspects, such as the capsule, wall material, core release forms, encapsulation methods and their use in food technology will be briefly discussed.

A microencapsulação é um processo em que substâncias ativas são revestidas por cápsulas extremamente pequenas. É uma tecnologia nova, a qual tem sido empregada na indústria de cosméticos, farmacêutica, agrotóxicos e alimentícia e, nesta, é utilizada em aromas, ácidos, óleos, vitaminas, micro-organismos, entre outros. O êxito nessa tecnologia deve-se à correta escolha do material encapsulante, da forma de liberação do núcleo e do método de encapsulação. Dessa forma, nesta revisão, serão abordados, sucintamente, alguns aspectos relevantes da microencapsulação, como a cápsula, o material encapsulante, as formas de liberação do núcleo, os métodos de encapsulação, assim como sua utilização na tecnologia de alimentos.