The present study was designed to isolate Bifidobacterium strains from raw camel milk and to investigate their probiotic characteristics. Among 35 isolates, 8 were identified as Gram-positive, catalase negative, non-spore forming, non-motile and V or Y shaped rods. B-2, B-5, B-11, B-19 and B-28 exhibited good survival at low pH and high bile salt concentration. Most of the isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid, fusidic acid, polymyxin B, neomycin, streptomycin, gentamicin, rifampicin and kanamycin. Furthermore, the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS), adhesion characteristics, antioxidant properties, antagonistic activities, nitrite reduction and cholesterol assimilation were also studied. Isolate B-11 was chosen because it exhibited most of the probiotic properties among all the tested isolates. It is identified as the member of Bifidobacterium longum group through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and named as B. longum B-11. B. longum B-11 was further selected for in vivo attachment to rat intestine and scanning electron micrographs revealed that attachment of a large number of rods shaped bacterial cell. Our findings suggest that B. longum B-11 processes excellent attributes to be used as potential probiotic in the development of functional probiotic food.

Seed oils are the richest source of vitamin-E-active compounds, which contribute significantly to antioxidant activities. Cottonseed oil (CS-O) is attaining more consideration owing to its high fiber content and stability against auto-oxidation. CS-O has gained a good reputation in the global edible oil market due to its distinctive fatty acid profile, anti-inflammatory, and cardio-protective properties. CS-O can be extracted from cottonseed (CS) by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), aqueous/solvent extraction (A/SE), aqueous ethanol extraction (A-EE), subcritical water extraction, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SC-CO₂), and enzyme-assisted extraction (E-AE). In this review, the importance, byproducts, physicochemical characteristics, and nutritional profile of CS-O have been explained in detail. This paper also provides a summary of scientific studies existing on functional and phytochemical characteristics of CS-O. Its consumption and health benefits are also deliberated to discover its profitability and applications. CS-O contains 26-35% saturated, 42-52% polyunsaturated, and 18-24% monounsaturated FA. There is approximately 1000 ppm of tocopherols in unprocessed CS-O, but up to one-third is lost during processing. Moreover, besides being consumed as cooking oil, CS-O discovers applications in many fields such as biofuel, livestock, cosmetics, agriculture, and chemicals. This paper provides a comprehensive review of CS-O, its positive benefits, fatty acid profile, extraction techniques, and health applications.

Food Science of Animal Resources (Food Sci. Anim. Resour.) is an international, peer-reviewed bimonthly journal publishing original research and reviews on basic and applied aspects of the use of animal resources including the meat, egg, dairy, and edible insect/worm products. Food Sci. Anim. Resour. is published and distributed by the Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources.

In the current study, Lactobacillus acidophilus was encapsulated in sodium alginate and whey protein isolate, with the addition of antacids CaCO₃ or Mg(OH)₂. The obtained microgels were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Encapsulated and free probiotics were subjected to vitality assay under stressed conditions. Furthermore, dried apple snack was evaluated as a carrier for probiotics for 28 days. A significant (p ≤ .05) effect of antacid with an encapsulating agent was observed under different stressed conditions. During exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, there were observations of 1.24 log CFU and 2.17 log CFU, with corresponding 0.93 log CFU and 2.63 log CFU decrease in the case of SA + CaCO₃ and WPI + CaCO₃ respectively. Likewise, high viability was observed under thermal and refrigerated conditions for probiotics encapsulated with SA + CaCO₃. In conclusion, the results indicated that alginate microgels with CaCO₃ are effective in prolonging the viability of probiotics under stressed conditions.

Prebiotics-based encapsulation aids in improving the structure of microbeads and the survivability of probiotics. The current study focused on the exploration of a prebiotic-based encapsulation system (alginate-inulin) to improve the viability of probiotics under in vitro and carrier food. Probiotic (L. acidophilus) was encapsulated by the ionotropic gelation method. Microbeads with inulin inclusion were found to be compact and smooth with the highest encapsulation efficiency (98.87%) among the rest of the treatments. Alginate-inulin-based microbeads showed the highest count (8.41log CFU) as compared to other treatment as well free cells under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Furthermore, alginate-inulin encapsulation maintained recommended (10⁷–10⁸ log CFU/ml) probiotic viability in carrier food throughout the storage period. Probiotic encapsulation aids in controlling the post-acidification of the carrier product (yogurt). The results of this study indicated that the alginate-inulin-based encapsulation system has promising potential to ensure the therapeutic number of probiotics in vitro as well in carrier foods.