Effect of the molecular structure and mechanical properties of plant-based hydrogels in food systems to deliver probiotics: an updated review

Abstract

Probiotic products’ economic value and market popularity have grown over time as more people discover their health advantages and adopt healthier lifestyles. There is a significant societal and cultural interest in these products known as foods or medicines. Products containing probiotics that claim to provide health advantages must maintain a “minimum therapeutic” level (10⁷-10⁶ CFU/g) of bacteria during their entire shelf lives. Since probiotic bacteria are susceptible to degradation and reduction by physical and chemical conditions (including acidity, natural antimicrobial agents, nutrient contents, redox potential, temperature, water activity, the existence of other bacteria, and sensitivity to metabolites), the most challenging problem for a food manufacturer is ensuring probiotic cells’ survival and stability enhancement throughout the manufacturing stage. Currently, the use of plant-based hydrogels for improved and targeted probiotic delivery has gained substantial attention as a potential approach to overcoming the mentioned restrictions. To achieve the best possible results from hydrogels, whether used as a coating for encapsulated probiotics (with the goal of stomach protection) or as carriers for direct encapsulation of live microorganisms should be applied kind of procedures that ensure high bacterial survival during hydrogels application. This paper summarizes polysaccharides, proteins, and lipid-based hydrogels as carriers of encapsulated probiotics in delivery systems, reviews their structures, analyzes their advantages and disadvantages, studies their mechanical characteristics, and draws comparisons between them. The discussion then turns to how the criterion affects encapsulation, applications, and future possibilities.

Keywords:

• Controlled release
• encapsulation
• mechanical properties
• plant-based hydrogels
• probiotics

Authors contributions

Saber Amiri and Narmin Nezamdoost-Sani: Investigation, Data curation, Resources, Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing original draft. Parisa Mostashari: Supervision, Literature searching, Writing original draft & Editing. Krystian Marszałek: Writing original draft. David Julian McClements and Amin Mousavi Khaneghah: Supervision, review & editing.

Conflict of interest

The authors confirm that they are independent of any known conflicting financial interests or close personal ties that could potentially impact the study presented in this article.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.