Honey products have become an important human dietary constituent because of their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical activities. Studies on honey products have increased to inform consumers. Therefore, the antioxidant properties and phenolic and carotenoid profiles of bee pollen collected from two different regions (Black Sea and Marmara) in Turkey were studied. The antioxidant properties of 16 chestnut bee pollens were evaluated by Folin–Ciocalteu (FC), ABTS, FRAP, and CHROMAC methods. The antioxidant profiles of chestnut bee pollen were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector. The main phenolic compounds (luteolin, hyperoside, vitexin, trans-chalcone, rosmarinic acid, pinocembrin, and chrysin) and the five carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene) were determined in chestnut bee pollen quantitatively. Generally, the antioxidant properties of chestnut bee pollen were mainly dependent on geographical origin. This study suggests that chestnut bee pollen from Turkey should be examined for potential health benefits.

Probiotic microorganisms are vital for gut health, but their viability is compromised by environmental stressors such as gastric acidity, bile salts, temperature, and oxygen. Encapsulation is a promising strategy to enhance probiotic stability and targeted release. In this study, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei were encapsulated using an emulsion method with carob flour, a natural material with prebiotic potential. Encapsulation conditions were optimized using the Box–Behnken Design, considering mixing temperature, mixing time, and carob flour amount. The encapsulation efficiencies were 79.51% ± 0.36% for L. rhamnosus and 74.98% ± 0.20% for L. paracasei . Encapsulation induced significant compositional and structural changes, as confirmed by physicochemical, FTIR, and SEM analysis. Encapsulated probiotics exhibited higher viability than free bacteria during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and under refrigerated and frozen storage. Encapsulation with carob flour is a promising approach to enhance probiotic stability and bioavailability in functional food applications.

In this study, Lacticaseibacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus probiotic bacteria were encapsulated using oleaster flour, which is rich in phenolic compounds and has prebiotic properties as potential. The optimum conditions required for the encapsulation of L. casei and L. acidophilus bacteria with maximum efficiency using oleaster flour were determined by central composite design–response surface methodology. As a result of the optimization process, the encapsulation efficiency for L. casei and L. acidophilus capsules was 93.66 ± 2.58% and 74.97 ± 1.34%, respectively. The capsule sizes of L. casei and L. acidophilus encapsulated with oleaster flour were determined by scanning electron microscopy to be 104.8 ± 26.3 and 95.7 ± 12.1 μm, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses showed that there was no change in the structure of the encapsulation material, oleaster flour, after encapsulation. Also, the storage stability of free and encapsulated bacteria was investigated, and it was found that the viability losses of encapsulated probiotic bacteria were less than those of free probiotic bacteria. Finally, the effect of encapsulation on bacterial viability during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion was investigated, which is the main purpose of the study. While free probiotic bacteria cannot reach the intestinal environment alive after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion due to pH and enzyme effects, encapsulated L. casei and L. acidophilus bacteria largely preserved their viability, and their postdigestion viability was 39.59 ± 1.50% and 36.28 ± 0.01%, respectively. The results showed successful encapsulation of L. casei and L. acidophilus probiotic bacteria with oleaster flour.

Bioaccessibility is a significant problem hindering dietary polyphenols' beneficial effect on human health. Plants, such as spices, have a high polyphenol content, but the human body can only benefit from the part absorbed from the intestine. Alpinia officinarum Hance is also a spice with high polyphenol content, but its phenolic compounds have low bioaccessibility with low solubility, stability, and poor intestinal absorption. Although various carrier systems have been developed to overcome this situation, the performance of chitosan–sodium alginate coated liposomes was evaluated for the first time in this study. It was demonstrated that in contrast to various carrier systems developed, double‐coated liposomes preserve the active ingredients and increase their bioaccessibility in environments with different pH, enzyme, and salt conditions. For the enhancement of the bioaccessibility of its phenolic compounds, Alpinia officinarum Hance extract was encapsulated in dual‐coated liposomes. For this purpose, chromatographic and spectroscopic analysis of Alpinia officinarum Hance extract was performed. The dual‐coated liposomes were produced and characterized, and the in vitro release profile and bioaccessibility were investigated. The significant differences between the results were statistically analyzed. The liposomes were produced with 93.19% ± 0.02% encapsulation efficiency and a size of 155 ± 22.61 nm, zeta potential of −40.97 ± 13.41 mV. The bioaccessibility of galangin in Alpinia officinarum Hance extract was 23.87% ± 0.24%, and in dual‐coated liposomes was 73.65% ± 1.70%. By virtue of the developed system, liposomes loaded with Alpinia officinarum Hance extract resisted gastrointestinal conditions and increased its bioaccessibility approximately threefold by slowing the release of the extract. The results are statistically significant.