Production and Evaluation of Dry Alginate-Chitosan Microcapsules as an Enteric Delivery Vehicle for Probiotic Bacteria

Abstract

This study investigates the production of alginate microcapsules, which have been coated with the polysaccharide chitosan, and evaluates some of their properties with the intention of improving the gastrointestinal viability of a probiotic ( Bifidobacterium breve ) by encapsulation in this system. The microcapsules were dried by a variety of methods, and the most suitable was chosen. The work described in this Article is the first report detailing the effects of drying on the properties of these microcapsules and the viability of the bacteria within relative to wet microcapsules. The pH range over which chitosan and alginate form polyelectrolyte complexes was explored by spectrophotometry, and this extended into swelling studies on the microcapsules over a range of pHs associated with the gastrointestinal tract. It was shown that chitosan stabilizes the alginate microcapsules at pHs above 3, extending the stability of the capsules under these conditions. The effect of chitosan exposure time on the coating thickness was investigated for the first time by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and its penetration into the alginate matrix was shown to be particularly slow. Coating with chitosan was found to increase the survival of B. breve in simulated gastric fluid as well as prolong its release upon exposure to intestinal pH.

Immobilization of Antimicrobial Bacterial Substances Onto Polymeric Matrices: Their Property Evaluation

“…перспективностью как потенциальных моделей для совершенствования материалов и методов борьбы с опасными микроорганизмами. Альгинат натрия и хитозан с успехом используются для доставки лекарств через нос [7], слизистые мембраны глаз [9], а также ротовую полость [8].…”

Survivability of lactobacilli cells upon coating with methacrylic acid copolymers

“…Apart from that, the relatively low cost of operation as well as the suitability for heat sensitive materials due to the low drying temperature, high drying rate, and high energy efficiency, promote the productivity and stability of the active moieties within the capsules (TaTemoTo et al, 2007). Meanwhile, oven drying is time consuming, as the beads tend to clump together unless manually separated during drying, whereas fluidized bed produced dried granular beads with shorter drying time (CooK et al, 2011). In addition, oven dried beads may also develop a small level of surface cracking during separation due to the clumping on flat surfaces or clumping on other beads.…”

Protection of Lactobacillus acidophilus under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions employing binary microcapsules containing inulin

“…Internal ionic gelation (IIG) has been used for microorganisms microencapsulation due to its low cost, mild formulation conditions and high cellular retention making this technique one of the most promising ones (Cook et al, 2012). The microencapsulation using IIG does not require specialized equipment, complex techniques or the use of expensive reagents; moreover, IIG protects the microencapsulated cells from the acidic condition facilitating the gradual cell release in the target place (Chavarri et al, 2010;Cook et al, 2011;Guerin et al, 2003;Kanmani et al, 2011). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the Lactobacillus acidophilus survival into microcapsules containing inulin as a prebiotic compound under simulated gastrointestinal conditions.…”