Udo Toshifumi, Mummaleti Gopinath, Qin Zijin, Chen Jinru, Singh Rakesh K, Jiao Yang, Kong Fanbin
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
Foods. 2025 Jun 13;14(12):2094. doi: 10.3390/foods14122094.
Probiotics like GG (LRGG) offer health benefits but face reduced viability under harsh gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. Encapsulation improves stability, yet most studies rely on static GI models with a simplified environment that may overestimate survival. This study assessed LRGG survival using chitosan-coated alginate beads under both static and dynamic GI models, including peristaltic flow and continuous juice replenishment. Food matrices (casein, corn starch, and soybean oil) were tested in static models. Beads were prepared via extrusion and subjected to simulated gastric and intestinal digestion. After 2 and 4 h of digestion, casein preserved LRGG viability at 8.50 ± 0.11 Log CFU/g, compared to 5.81 ± 0.44 with starch and undetectable levels with soybean oil. Casein's protective effect was attributed to its pH-buffering capacity, raising gastric pH from 2.5 to 4.6. Starch offered moderate protection, while soybean oil led to bead dissolution due to destabilization of the egg-box structure. Dynamic GI models showed greater reductions in LRGG viability than static models, emphasizing the need for physiologically relevant simulations. The results highlight the importance of selecting appropriate food matrices and digestion models for accurate probiotic assessment, supporting improved encapsulation strategies in functional food development.
像GG（LRGG）这样的益生菌具有健康益处，但在恶劣的胃肠道（GI）条件下其活力会降低。封装可提高稳定性，但大多数研究依赖于具有简化环境的静态GI模型，这可能会高估存活率。本研究在静态和动态GI模型下，包括蠕动流和连续果汁补充，使用壳聚糖包被的海藻酸钠珠评估了LRGG的存活率。在静态模型中测试了食物基质（酪蛋白、玉米淀粉和大豆油）。通过挤压制备珠子，并使其经受模拟的胃和肠道消化。消化2小时和4小时后，酪蛋白使LRGG的活力保持在8.50±0.11 Log CFU/g，而淀粉为5.81±0.44，大豆油则未检测到活力。酪蛋白的保护作用归因于其pH缓冲能力，使胃pH从2.5升至4.6。淀粉提供了适度的保护，而大豆油由于蛋盒结构的不稳定导致珠子溶解。动态GI模型显示LRGG活力的降低比静态模型更大，强调了生理相关模拟的必要性。结果突出了选择合适的食物基质和消化模型以进行准确的益生菌评估的重要性，为功能性食品开发中改进的封装策略提供了支持。
