D'Amico Vita, Cavaliere Mariasimona, Ivone Marianna, Lacassia Chiara, Celano Giuseppe, Vacca Mirco, la Forgia Flavia Maria, Fontana Sergio, De Angelis Maria, Denora Nunzio, Lopedota Angela Assunta
Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 4, E. Orabona Street, 70125 Bari, Italy.
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, 165/A, G. Amendola Street, 70126 Bari, Italy.
Pharmaceutics. 2025 Feb 2;17(2):185. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics17020185.
Probiotics provide significant health benefits, but their viability is often compromised during production, storage, and passage through the gastrointestinal tract. These challenges hinder their effective incorporation into functional applications, particularly in dairy functional foods, in which factors such as acidity, oxygen exposure, and storage conditions negatively impact cell survival. The focus was on functional dairy foods, particularly on pasta filata cheeses. Indeed, the use of probiotics in pasta filata cheeses presents significant challenges due to the specific manufacturing processes, which encompass the application of high temperatures and other harsh conditions. These factors can adversely affect the viability and availability of probiotic microorganisms. However, microencapsulation has emerged as a promising solution, offering a protective barrier that enhances probiotic stability, improves survival rates, and facilitates targeted release in the gastrointestinal environment. This review examines the pivotal role of microencapsulation in stabilising probiotics for functional applications, emphasising its relevance in high-value food systems. Functional applications, including foods designed to offer essential nutritional benefits and promote host health, play a crucial role in disease prevention and immune system support, reducing the risk of infections and other physiological impairments. Key microencapsulation technologies are analysed, focusing on their benefits, limitations, and challenges related to scalability and industrial implementation. Additionally, this review discusses strategies to optimise formulations, ensure the sensory quality of final products, and explore future opportunities for expanding innovative applications that align with growing consumer demand for health-promoting solutions.
益生菌具有显著的健康益处，但其活力在生产、储存以及通过胃肠道的过程中常常受到损害。这些挑战阻碍了它们有效地应用于功能性产品中，尤其是在乳类功能性食品中，其中酸度、氧气暴露和储存条件等因素会对细胞存活产生负面影响。研究重点是功能性乳类食品，特别是丝状干酪。事实上，由于丝状干酪的特定制造工艺，包括高温和其他苛刻条件的应用，在其中使用益生菌存在重大挑战。这些因素会对益生菌微生物的活力和有效性产生不利影响。然而，微胶囊化已成为一种有前景的解决方案，它提供了一种保护屏障，可增强益生菌的稳定性，提高存活率，并便于在胃肠道环境中实现靶向释放。本综述探讨了微胶囊化在稳定益生菌以用于功能性应用方面的关键作用，强调了其在高价值食品体系中的重要性。功能性应用，包括旨在提供基本营养益处并促进宿主健康的食品，在疾病预防和免疫系统支持方面发挥着关键作用，可降低感染和其他生理损伤的风险。对关键的微胶囊化技术进行了分析，重点关注其优点、局限性以及与可扩展性和工业应用相关的挑战。此外，本综述还讨论了优化配方的策略，确保最终产品的感官质量，并探索未来扩大创新应用的机会，以满足消费者对促进健康解决方案不断增长的需求。
