Zhang Xinrui, Peng Xiaowei, Chen Huijing, Li Aijun, Yang Gang, Kan Jianquan
College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Foods. 2025 Apr 28;14(9):1555. doi: 10.3390/foods14091555.
To enhance F50 viability during spray drying and long-term storage, this study evaluates whey protein (WP) crosslinked with four polysaccharides (κ-carrageenan (KC), xanthan gum (XG), low-methoxyl pectin (LMP), sodium alginate (SA)) for the first time as protective matrices for F50 during spray drying. The four kinds of crosslinked wall materials were compared by various characterization methods. Among them, the WP-κ-carrageenan (WP-KC) composite exhibited optimal performance, forming a uniform microcapsule with high colloidal stability. After spray drying, WP-KC achieved the highest viable cell density (9.62 lg CFU/g) and survival rate (91.85%). Notably, WP-KC maintained viability above 8.68 lg CFU/g after 120 days of storage at 4 °C, surpassing other formulations. Structural analysis showed that the WP-KC microcapsule was completely encapsulated without breaking or leaking and confirmed the molecular interaction between WP and KC. Under the condition of high temperatures (≤142.63 °C), the wall material of the microcapsule does not undergo any endothermic or exothermic process and is in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, with excellent stability and good dispersion. Additionally, microcapsules exhibited enhanced resistance to thermal stress (55-75 °C) and UV irradiation, higher than that of free cells. These results highlight WP-KC as an industrially viable encapsulation system for improving probiotic stability in functional foods, offering critical insights into polysaccharide-protein interactions for optimized delivery systems.
为提高F50在喷雾干燥和长期储存过程中的活力，本研究首次评估了与四种多糖（κ-卡拉胶（KC）、黄原胶（XG）、低甲氧基果胶（LMP）、海藻酸钠（SA））交联的乳清蛋白（WP）作为F50在喷雾干燥过程中的保护基质。通过各种表征方法对这四种交联壁材进行了比较。其中，WP-κ-卡拉胶（WP-KC）复合材料表现出最佳性能，形成了具有高胶体稳定性的均匀微胶囊。喷雾干燥后，WP-KC获得了最高的活细胞密度（9.62 lg CFU/g）和存活率（91.85%）。值得注意的是，WP-KC在4℃储存120天后仍保持高于8.68 lg CFU/g的活力，超过了其他配方。结构分析表明，WP-KC微胶囊完全被包裹，没有破裂或泄漏，并证实了WP和KC之间的分子相互作用。在高温（≤142.63℃）条件下，微胶囊的壁材不发生任何吸热或放热过程，处于热力学平衡状态，具有优异的稳定性和良好的分散性。此外，微胶囊表现出对热应激（55-75℃）和紫外线照射的增强抗性，高于游离细胞。这些结果突出了WP-KC作为一种工业上可行的包封系统，可提高功能性食品中益生菌的稳定性，为优化递送系统的多糖-蛋白质相互作用提供了关键见解。
