Improved survival of Lactobacillus paracasei NFBC 338 in spray-dried powders containing gum acacia.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the protective effect of gum acacia (GA) on the performance of Lactobacillus paracasei NFBC 338 during spray-drying, subsequent storage and exposure of the culture to porcine gastric juice.


RESULTS
For these studies, Lact. paracasei NFBC 338 was grown in a mixture of reconstituted skim milk (10% w/v) and GA (10% w/v) to mid log phase and spray-dried at outlet temperatures between 95 and 105 degrees C. On spray drying at the higher air outlet temperature of 100-105 degrees C, the GA-treated culture displayed 10-fold greater survival than control cells. Probiotic lactobacilli in GA-containing powders also survived dramatically better than untreated cultures during storage at 4-30 degrees C for 4 weeks. A 20-fold better survival of the probiotic culture in GA-containing powders was obtained during storage at 4 degrees C while, at 15 and 30 degrees C, greater than 1000-fold higher survival was obtained. Furthermore, the viability of probiotic lactobacilli in GA-containing powders was 100-fold higher when exposed to porcine gastric juice over 120 min compared with the control spray-dried culture.


CONCLUSIONS
The data indicate that GA has applications in the protection of probiotic cultures during drying, storage and gastric transit.


CONCLUSIONS
Gum acacia treatment for the manufacture of probiotic-containing powders should result in more efficient probiotic delivery to the host gastrointestinal tract.
Desmond
C
C
Teagasc, Dairy Products Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co, Cork, Ireland.
Ross
R P
RP
O'Callaghan
E
E
Fitzgerald
G
G
Stanton
C
C
D000818:Animals; D003890:Desiccation; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D005750:Gastric Juice / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D006170:Gum Arabic / Q000378:metabolism; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011309:Preservation, Biological; D019936:Probiotics; D013552:Swine
D006170:Gum Arabic; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide