Influence of the addition of gum arabic and xanthan gum in the preparation of sodium alginate microcapsules coated with chitosan hydrochloride on the survival of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG.

The microencapsulation of Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus GG in a matrix of sodium alginate, xanthan gum, gum arabic and chitosan hydrochloride is a promising strategy for protecting this probiotic during passage through the gastrointestinal tract. This study evaluated the influence on the viability of Lactocaseibacillus rhamnosus GG encapsulated with these polymers by external ionic gelation with vibratory extrusion and the microcapsules that showed the best results of capsulation efficiency, viability, size and morphology were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analysis (TGA) and exposure to environmental stress conditions and gastrointestinal simulation. The result revealed encapsulation efficiency values above 95 % for all formulations and survival rate higher than 6 log CFU/mL for most analyzed groups. The lowest viability values after storage at 7 °C were presented by formulations prepared with Arabic Gum and Xanthan, as well as the largest sizes, expansion index, and physical integrity loss of the microcapsules. Sodium alginate microcapsules coated with chitosan hydrochloride demonstrated enhanced viability during storage at 7 °C and 25 °C, alongside superior cell survival rates under environmental stress conditions and simulated gastrointestinal environments indicating that sodium alginate-chitosan hydrochloride microparticles are expected to become an ideal carrier for the actives encapsulation in pharmaceutical and food and industries.