Author(s): Araújo, Alessandra Silva ; Cavalcanti, Isabella Macário Ferro ; Campos, Luís André de Almeida ; Souza, Felipe Ravelly Alves de ; Gonçalves, Daniela Alexandra ; Teixeira, J. A. ; Nobre, Clarisse ; Stamford, Thayza Christina Montenegro
Date: 2026
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/98471
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Symbiotic microcapsules; Ionic gelation with vibratory extrusion; Biopolymers; Coconut extract; In vitro digestion
This study highlights the effectiveness of ionic gelation combined with vibratory extrusion and chitosan hydrochloride coating as a robust strategy for the microencapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG intended for application in complex food matrices. The developed symbiotic microcapsules demonstrated desirable morphological and structural characteristics and provided significant protection to the encapsulated probiotic under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. When incorporated into a coconut water-soluble extract, the microcapsules influenced the physicochemical properties of the food matrix, promoting increased acidity, soluble solids content, and lightness, while preserving probiotic viability above the critical threshold of 6 log CFU/mL throughout storage. The additional chitosan hydrochloride coating further enhanced the protective capacity of the capsules, improving resistance to extreme pH and bile salts during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. These results support the potential of this encapsulation approach to enhance the stability and functionality of probiotics in functional foods.
