Microencapsulation technology can be used to improve the probiotic viability under stress condition in the human gastrointestinal tract and during storage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of encapsulation materials on the survival of GABA-producing probiotics using alginate containing cassava starch nanocrystals under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and shelf storage. Lactobacillus brevis ST-69, GABAproducing probiotic strain, was isolated from kimchi and encapsulated using emulsion technique. The GABA activity, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, probiotic viability were evaluated. The encapsulation efficiency using emulsion technique was 89.72%. Probiotic encapsulated in alginate-nanocrystalline starch gel capsules showed high survival rate at 94.97% of probiotic cells under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and during long-life storage at 4 °C compared to free cells. Results showed that for improving the viability of probiotics against gastrointestinal and storage conditions, complex materials with nanocrystalline starch might be a better encapsulating matrix for the preparation of gel capsules.

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The development of many chronic diseases is associated with an excess of free radicals leading to harmful oxidative stress. Certain probiotic strains have been shown to have antioxidant and anti-aging properties and are an important resource for development of microbial antioxidants. The present study aimed to explore the protection offered by Bifidobacterium animalis strain MSMC83 in a model of oxidative stress induced by D-galactose (D-gal). Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly allocated to four groups: a control group injected with saline, a group injected subcutaneously with D-galactose, a probiotic group injected with D-galactose and administered B. animalis MSMC83 (109 CFU/mL) via daily oral gavage, and an ascorbic acid group. The probiotics significantly increased the superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and significantly decreased the malondialdehyde in the plasma and livers of D-galactose-treated rats. Moreover, tumor necrosis factor-alpha level in the liver was significantly decreased. Furthermore, the treatment with B. animalis MSMC83 restored the microbiota diversity after D-galactose injection. Therefore, our results supported a beneficial role of B. animalis MSMC83 in alleviating oxidative stress through the increased expression of antioxidant enzymes and reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines in rats. Our study suggests that B. animalis MSMC83 may be part of a healthy diet to prevent oxidative stress-associated diseases.

Hypercholesterolemia is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Probiotics are the essential constituents of the gastrointestinal microbiota that provide health-promoting effects. Cholesterol-lowering activity is a specific property of probiotics, improving the cholesterol metabolism without adverse effects. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the hypocholesterolemic effect of single and mixed cholesterol-lowering probiotic strains (including Limosilactobacillus reuteri TF-7, Enterococcus faecium TF-18, and Bifidobacterium animalis TA-1) in high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-induced hypercholesterolemic rats. The results showed that the administration of single probiotics contributed to a reduction in the body weight gain, visceral organ indexes, hyperlipidemia, and hepatic steatosis and also an improvement in the gastrointestinal microbiota. Besides the effect of single cholesterol-lowering probiotics, three probiotics strains could also synergize their hypocholesterolemic effect when administered simultaneously. These findings indicate that three cholesterol-lowering probiotic strains are suitable for development as probiotic supplements to reduce the risk of diseases caused by cholesterol and exert health benefits with synergistic effect when administered simultaneously.