A Formulation Platform for Incorporating Live Probiotics into Different Food Matrices

Drying technologies are often utilized to maximize microbial shelf-life stability of probiotics-based foods. However, these processes inadvertently induce stress on microorganisms and reduce probiotic viability. This work sought to develop suitable protection strategies to maintain viability of powdered probiotics in different foods. A formulation platform (set of pre-existing/initial formulation templates for application/adaptation to various products) consisting of six powder formulations was evaluated. Each template combination comprised a probiotic, at least one prebiotic and at least one coating material. The powder particles were small (d50: 4.92 ± 0.09 μm to 9.30 ± 1.09 μm) to ensure optimal incorporation in foods for desirable mouthfeel, while all powders were favorably moisture-stable (aw: 0.34 – 0.53) and less susceptible to moisture uptake than their unencapsulated counterpart. At least one species from the platform was able to satisfy the viability and/or functional requirements on various food matrices which thus demonstrated its utility in formulation development.