Chitosan entrapping of sodium alginate / Lycium barbarum polysaccharide gels for the encapsulation, protection and delivery of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum with enhanced viability.

To preserve the viability of probiotics during digestion and storage, encapsulation techniques are necessary to withstand the challenges posed by adverse environments. A core-shell structure has been developed to provide protection for probiotics. By utilizing sodium alginate (SA) / Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) as the core material and chitosan (CS) as the shell, the probiotic load reached 9.676 log CFU/mL. This formulation not only facilitated continuous release in the gastrointestinal tract but also enhanced thermal stability and storage stability. The results obtained from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that the addition of LBP and CS affected the microstructure of the gel by enhancing the hydrogen bond force, so as to achieve controlled release. Following the digestion of the gel within the gastrointestinal tract, the released amount was determined to be 9.657 log CFU/mL. The moisture content and storage stability tests confirmed that the encapsulated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum maintained good activity for an extended period at 4 °C, with an encapsulated count of 8.469 log CFU/mL on the 28th day. In conclusion, the newly developed core-shell gel in this study exhibits excellent probiotic protection and delivery capabilities.