Encapsulation of Probiotics in Milk Protein Microcapsules
Résumé
The use of probiotic bacteria as nutraceuticals has expanded rapidly in recent years. A great number of the claims of health promotion attributed to probiotics are dependent on cell numbers and viability in the intestinal tract. Unfortunately, probiotics administration results in loss of viability due to the passage through the stomach (elevated acidity and bile salt concentrations). Therefore, formulation of probiotics into microcapsules is an interesting and promising way to avoid viability losses. Various compositions of matrices for microcapsules can be envisaged if the materials are food grade; milk proteins are one such material. This chapter will develop in detail how these dairy protein matrices can be a good choice to encapsulate probiotics and to control the release of these cells across the intestinal tract.