Effect of Encapsulation on Viability of Bifidobacterium longum CFR815j and Physiochemical Properties of Ice Cream.

The health beneficial attributes of bifidobacteria
and its safe association with the host gut has increased its
significance as a probiotic. However delivering probiotic
bifidobacteria with Minimum Biological Value (MBV)
through product has always been a challenge. In the present
study, an attempt was made to maintain the viability of
native isolate of Bifidobacterium longum CFR 815j and
deliver through ice-cream. B. longum CFR815j was
microencapsulated in alginate starch capsules by emulsification
followed by evaluation of bead stability in simulated
gastrointestinal conditions. After incorporation in icecream,
the effect on chemical properties, sensory parameters
and meltdown characteristics of the product were also
evaluated. Survival studies of B. longum revealed higher
counts than 107 in the product which is essential for probiotic
bacteria to exhibit beneficial effect. Further, all the
properties of this ice-cream were comparable to the regular
ice-cream. Our studies conclude that encapsulation was
able to maintain the requisite MBV of bifidobacteria in icecream
without affecting the sensory characteristics.