The Effect of Milk Protein on the Biological and Rheological Properties of Probiotic Capsules

Probiotics are often infused into functional foods or encapsulated in a supplement form to maintain a healthy balance between the gut microbiota and their host. Because there are milk-based functional foods such as yogurt and cheese on the market, it has been suggested that milk-based probiotics could be incorporated into skim milk proteins in a liquid capsule. Skim milk is mainly composed of casein and whey protein, which create a strong natural barrier and can be used to encapsulate probiotics. In this study, we compared the encapsulated probiotics prepared with milk-based concentrated cell mixtures using commercial probiotics. Probiotic capsules were emulsified with skim milk proteins using vegetable oil to form a double coating layer. The product was heat-stable when tested using a rheometer. The survival rate of the milk-based probiotic cells in the lower gastric environment with bile was significantly higher than commercial probiotics. Thus, milk-encapsulated probiotics exhibited greater efficacy in the host than other types of probiotics, suggesting that the former could be more viable with a longer shelf life under harsh conditions than other form of probiotics. Our findings suggested that, compared with other types of probiotics, milk-based probiotics may be a better choice for producers and consumers.