High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), a non-thermal technology, which typically uses water as a pressure transfer medium, is characterized by a minimal impact on food characteristics (sensory, nutritional, and functional). Today, this technology, present in many food companies, can effectively inactivate bacterial cells and many enzymes. All this makes HHP very attractive, with very good acceptance by consumers, who value the organoleptic characteristics of products processed by this non-thermal food preservation technology because they associate these products with fresh-like. On the other hand, this technology reduces the need for non-natural synthetic additives of low consumer acceptance.

Valorization of by-products in the dairy industry as a strategy to promote circular economies has become a priority around the globe. Cheese whey and its derivates from filtration technologies offer a source of valuable molecules such as proteins, fat, lactose, and minerals. For this study, after protein concentration and recovery through ultrafiltration, lactose remaining in the permeate was furtherly concentrated with nanofiltration, resulting in a retentate used as substrate for the enzymatic production of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS). The kinetics of GOS generation with a commercial β-galactosidase, was carried out, quantifying the carbohydrate composition by HPAEC-PAD. Results showed that at 0.5 h, GOS yield reached a maximum of 74% (g GOS/g lactose) with a lactose utilization of 63%. Under these conditions, a GOS syrup (75% soluble solids) was generated and applied in a porridge for blind paired comparison test, including a control without the syrup. No differences were identified in color and odor between porridges; however, flavor and mouthfeel of the GOS-added sample improved according to the comments of panelists. This study presents an alternative process for the valorization of whey permeate to produce GOS ingredients that can be used directly in day-to-day dairy products.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid distributed in nature by different types of organisms and microorganisms. GABA has been widely studied for its different physiological functions and industrial applications. Its production is mainly carried out through fermentation processes using lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are of particular interest because they are safe and possess high glutamate decarboxylase enzyme activity. However, GABA production can vary among different LAB species and is affected by culture conditions. Therefore, strain development and selection, as well as optimization of fermentation parameters, are essential to increase GABA yields and meet the needs of industrial demand. This review quantitatively analyzes recent advances in fermentative GABA production, showing a sustained increase in publications and a predominance of chromatography-based quantification methods (approximately 68%), mainly using pre-column derivatization. Optimized fermentation strategies, supported by statistical and artificial intelligence models, have achieved GABA concentrations of up to 90 mM. In parallel, in silico genomic and metabolic analyses revealed the widespread distribution of key GABA biosynthesis and transport genes among LAB, supporting their selection and engineering. Overall, the integration of advanced analytical methods, bioinformatics-guided strain selection, and computational process optimization emerges as a key strategy to enhance GABA productivity and support future industrial-scale applications.

Spray drying and gastrointestinal transit can cause substantial losses in probiotic viability, limiting effective delivery in food applications. This study developed a thermophysically guided framework for the rational design of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum microcapsules in three sequential stages. First, Kissinger kinetic analysis of eleven biopolymer candidates (E_a: 95.4–198.4 kJ/mol) combined with pH-dependent solubility profiling provided an empirical screening criterion for the preselection of coating materials; the activation energies are apparent values associated with a composite endothermic event and the glass transition temperature was not measured in this work. Second, a factorial design identified whey protein concentrate (WPC)–gum arabic as the most suitable wall system, yielding a post-drying survival of 97.76 ± 0.75% and showing a significant protein–polysaccharide interaction (p < 0.0001). Third, a D-optimal mixture design optimized a four-component thermoprotectant blend composed of trehalose (29.7%), glycerol (25.7%), fructooligosaccharides (19.8%), and inulin (24.8%). The fitted model explained 91.9% of the response variability (R² = 0.919), and the optimized blend limited viability loss during thermal exposure at 92 °C for 3–8 min, consistent with complementary protective effects involving vitrification and membrane stabilization. The optimized system yielded 2.4 × 10¹¹ CFU/g after spray drying, a water activity of 0.23, and a Carr Index of 18.5%. Under simulated gastrointestinal digestion (INFOGEST 2.0), thermoprotectant-loaded microcapsules retained 1.5 × 10⁷ CFU/mL of digesta after the gastric phase and delivered 1.2 × 10⁸ CFU/mL of digesta to the intestinal phase, four to five orders of magnitude above unprotected microcapsules (1.0 × 10³ CFU/mL of digesta). Overall, these results support a transferable formulation strategy that combines thermophysical screening with experimental design to develop probiotic ingredients with improved thermal stability for food applications.