Abstract
In the current study, Lactobacillus acidophilus was encapsulated in sodium alginate and whey protein isolate, with the addition of antacids CaCO(3) or Mg(OH)(2). The obtained microgels were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Encapsulated and free probiotics were subjected to vitality assay under stressed conditions. Furthermore, dried apple snack was evaluated as a carrier for probiotics for 28 days. A significant (p ≤ .05) effect of antacid with an encapsulating agent was observed under different stressed conditions. During exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, there were observations of 1.24 log CFU and 2.17 log CFU, with corresponding 0.93 log CFU and 2.63 log CFU decrease in the case of SA + CaCO(3) and WPI + CaCO(3) respectively. Likewise, high viability was observed under thermal and refrigerated conditions for probiotics encapsulated with SA + CaCO(3). In conclusion, the results indicated that alginate microgels with CaCO(3) are effective in prolonging the viability of probiotics under stressed conditions.