In the present paper, a novel approach for the development of probiotic baked cereal products is presented. Probiotic pan bread constructed by the application of film forming solutions based either on individual hydrogels e.g. 1% w/w sodium alginate (ALG) or binary blends of 0.5% w/w sodium alginate and 2% whey protein concentrate (ALG/WPC) containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, followed by an air drying step at 60 °C for 10 min or 180 °C for min were produced. No visual differences between the bread crust surface of control and probiotic bread were observed. Microstructural analysis of bread crust revealed the formation of thicker films in the case of ALG/WPC. The presence of WPC improved significantly the viability of L. rhamnosus GG throughout air drying and room temperature storage. During storage there was a significant reduction in L. rhamnosus GG viability during the first 24 h, viable count losses were low during the subsequent 2–3 days of storage and growth was observed upon the last days of storage (day 4–7). The use of film forming solutions based exclusive on sodium alginate improved the viability of L. rhamnosus GG under simulated gastro-intestinal conditions, and there was no impact of the bread crust matrix on inactivation rates. The presence of the probiotic edible films did not modify cause major shifts in the mechanistic pathway of bread staling – as shown by physicochemical, thermal, texture and headspace analysis. Based on our calculations, an individual 30–40 g bread slice can deliver approx. 7.57–8.98 and 6.55–6.91 log cfu/portion before and after in-vitro digestion, meeting the WHO recommended required viable cell counts for probiotic bacteria to be delivered to the human host.

Inrecent years, the use of spray drying for the production of anhydrobiotics has gained the interest of functional food manufacturers, mainly due to cost efficiencies and enhanced product and process flexibility (e.g., enhanced shelf life). In the present work, spray-drying conditions (air inlet temperature and feed flow rate) were optimized for the microencapsulation of the thermo sensitive probiotic lactobacilli strains Lactobacillus acidophilus stabilized in a 60:20:20 (w/w) maltodextrin: whey protein concentrate: D-glucose carrier. A 2³ full-factorial experimental design was constructed with air inlet temperature (120, 140, and 160°C) and feed flow rate (6, 7.5, and 9.0 mL/min) as the independent variables and total viable counts (TVC), water activity (a _w ), and cyclone recovery (CR) defined as the dependent variables. The increase in air inlet temperature from 120 to 160°C induced a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the TVC from 9.02 to 7.20 log cfu/g, which corresponds to a97.5% loss of the L. acidophilus viable counts. On the other hand, the increase in the feed flow rate from 6 to 7.5 mL/min significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the heat-induced viability loss. A further increase in the feeding rate did not further modify the achieved thermo protection, and a detrimental impact of cyclone recovery (reduction) and water activity (increase) of the powder was observed. Using pruned quadratic mathematical models, the optimum spray-drying conditions for the production of maximally viable microencapsulated L. acidophilus were 133.34°C and 7.14 mL/min. The physicochemical and structural characteristics of the powders produced were acceptable for application with regards to residual water content, particles mean size, and thermo physical properties to ensure appropriate storage stability under room temperature conditions, with a low inactivation rate of L. acidophilus. Microcapsules appeared partially collapsed by scanning electron microscope with a spherical shape with surface concavities.

• Lactobacillus acidophilus spray dried with chitosan was viable over 35 days of storage at 25 °C. • Chitosan improved L. acidophilus viability during simulated digestion. • Alginate and HPMC maintained L. acidophilus viability during spray-drying. • Alginate and HPMC decreased survival of L. acidophilus during simulated digestion. • Physical state of dried powders impacted L. acidophilus viability during storage.

Epoxyxanthophylls (epoxide-containing xanthophylls), a group of carotenoids, are ubiquitously distributed in edible plants. Among them, neoxanthin in green leafy vegetables and fucoxanthin in brown algae have been reported to exhibit an antiproliferative effect on several human cancer cells in vitro. However, there is little information about the intestinal absorption and metabolic fate of dietary epoxyxanthophylls in humans. To estimate the intestinal absorption of neoxanthin and fucoxanthin in humans, we evaluated the plasma epoxyxanthophyll concentrations before and after 1-week dietary interventions with spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and wakame (Undaria pinnatifida). The epoxyxanthophylls and their metabolites in the plasma extracts were determined by HPLC after partial purification and concentration with solid-phase extraction cartridges. Even after 1 week of spinach intake (3·0 mg neoxanthin/d), the plasma concentrations of neoxanthin and its metabolites (neochrome stereoisomers) remained very low (about 1 nmol/l), whereas those of β-carotene and lutein were markedly increased. Similarly, the plasma concentration of fucoxanthinol, a gastrointestinal metabolite of fucoxanthin, was < 1 nmol/l after 1 week of wakame intake (6·1 mg fucoxanthin/d). These results indicated that the plasma response to dietary epoxyxanthophylls was very low in humans even after 1-week intake of epoxyxanthophyll-rich diets.

The concept of prebiotic edible films as effective vehicles for encapsulating probiotic living cells is presented. Four soluble fibres (inulin, polydextrose, glucose-oligosaccharides and wheat dextrin) were selected as prebiotic co-components of gelatine based matrices plasticised with glycerol and used for the immobilisation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. The addition of prebiotics was associated with a more compact and uniform film structure, with no detectable interspaces or micropores; probiotic inclusion did not significantly change the structure of the films. Glucose-oligosaccharides and polydextrose significantly enhanced L. rhamnosus GG viability during air drying (by 300% and 75%, respectively), whilst a 33% and 80% reduction in viable counts was observed for inulin and wheat dextrin. Contrarily, inulin was the most effective at controlling the sub-lethal effects on L. rhamnosus GG during storage. However, in all cases the supplementation of edible films with prebiotics ameliorated the storage stability of L. rhamnosus GG.