Kombucha bacterial cellulose (KBC), a by-product of kombucha fermentation, can be used as a biomaterial for microbial immobilization. In this study, we investigated the properties of KBC produced from green tea kombucha fermentation on days 7, 14, and 30 and its potential as a protective carrier of Lactobacillus plantarum, a representative beneficial bacteria. The highest KBC yield (6.5%) was obtained on day 30. Scanning electron microscopy showed the development and changes in the fibrous structure of the KBC over time. They had crystallinity indices of 90–95%, crystallite sizes of 5.36–5.98 nm, and are identified as type I cellulose according to X-ray diffraction analysis. The 30-day KBC had the highest surface area of 19.91 m²/g, which was measured using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. This was used to immobilize L. plantarum TISTR 541 cells using the adsorption–incubation method, by which 16.20 log CFU/g of immobilized cells was achieved. The amount of immobilized L. plantarum decreased to 7.98 log CFU/g after freeze-drying and to 2.94 log CFU/g after being exposed to simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions (HCl pH 2.0 and 0.3% bile salt), whereas the non-immobilized culture was not detected. This indicated its potential as a protective carrier to deliver beneficial bacteria to the gastrointestinal tract.

The aim of the study was to investigate the solubility of piroxicam (Prx) depending on the inclusion complexation with various cyclodextrins (CDs) and on ethanol as a co-solvent. The phase-solubility method was applied to determine drug solubility in binary and ternary systems. The results showed that in systems consisting of the drug dissolved in ethanol–water mixtures, the drug solubility increased exponentially with a rising concentration of ethanol. The phase solubility measurements of the drug in aqueous solutions of CDs, β-CD and γ-CD exhibited diagrams of A_L-type, whereas 2,6-dimethyl-β-CD revealed A_P-type. The destabilizing effect of ethanol as a co-solvent was observed for all complexes regardless of the CD type, as a consequence of it the lowering of the complex formation constants. In systems with a higher concentration of ethanol, the drug solubility was increased in opposition to the decreasing complex formation constants. According to this study, the type of CDs played a more important role on the solubility of Prx, and the use of ethanol as a co-solvent exhibited no synergistic effect on the improvement of Prx solubility. The Prx solubility was increased again due to the better solubility in ethanol.