Probiotics have received increased attention due to their nutritional and health-promoting benefits. However, their viability is often impeded during food processing as well as during their gastrointestinal transit before reaching the colon. In this study, probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus MF00960, Pediococcus pentosaceus MF000967, and Lactobacillus paracasei DSM20258 were encapsulated within sodium alginate, camel casein (CC), camel skin gelatin (CSG) and CC: CSG (1:1 wt/wt) wall materials. All 3 strains in encapsulated form showed an enhanced survival rate upon simulated gastrointestinal digestion compared with free cells. Among the encapsulating matrices, probiotics embedded in CC showed higher viability and is attributed to less porous structure of CC that provided more protection to entrapped probiotics cells. Similarly, thermal tolerance at 50°C and 70°C of all 3 probiotic strains were significantly higher upon encapsulation in CC and CC: CSG. Scanning electron microscope micrographs showed probiotic strains embedded in the dense protein matrix of CC and CSG. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed that CC-and CSG-encapsulated probiotic strains exhibited the amide bands with varying intensity with no significant change in the structural conformation. Probiotic strains encapsulated in CC and CC: CSG showed higher retention of inhibitory properties against α-glucosidase, α-amylase, dipeptidyl peptidase-IV, pancreatic lipase, and cholesteryl esterase compared with free cells upon exposure to simulated gastrointestinal digestion conditions. Therefore, CC alone or in combination with CSG as wall materials provided effective protection to cells, retained their bioactive properties, which was comparable to sodium alginate as wall materials. Thus, CC and CC: CSG can be an efficient wall material for encapsulation of probiotics for food applications.

Millets are well-known for protein with high nutritional value and a range of health benefits. Milletderived proteins can thus be a rich source of bioactive peptides with multiple bioactive properties. In this study three proteolytic enzymes, i.e. alcalase, bromelain, and chymotrypsin were used to generate pearl millet protein hydrolysates (PMPHs) and explored for multifunctional bioactive properties. Degree of hydrolysis (DH) ranged between 28.69% and 59.21% with maximum DH observed for PMPs hydrolysed with bromelain for 9 h. The PMPs digested with alcalase exhibited enhanced in-vitro anti-diabetic potential with greater inhibition towards α-amylase and dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) with IC 50 inhibitory concentration of 5.06 and 3.44 μg mL −1 , respectively. Alcalase PMPHs demonstrated the strongest ABTS radical scavenging activity (976 mM TEAC) while chymotrypsin-generated PMPHs showed significant scavenging of DPPH free radicals (222.3 mM TEAC). In addition, bromelain-treated hydrolysates displayed the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (6.71 μg mL −1 ) and Ferric reducing anti-oxidant power (585.7 mM TEAC). Moreover, PMPHs generated by alcalase showed potential anti-lipidemic activity by inhibiting pancreatic lipase and cholesteryl esterase with maximum IC 50 values of 3.46 and 3.61 μg mL −1 , respectively. These findings suggest that PMPs could be used as a potential source for bioactive hydrolysates with improved anti-diabetic, anti-lipidemic, and anti-oxidant activities.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract