Co-encapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and different concentrations of chia oil (Salvia hispanica L.) by external ionic gelation

Probiotics and bioactive substances from plants have gained prominence and appreciation among consumers for their potential to contribute to health. However, these substances are sensitive to intrinsic and extrinsic environmental factors, both in the processing and storage of the finished product. The aim of this study was to encapsulate, using external ionic gelation, the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus with chia oil (Salvia hispanica L.) in different concentrations (10%, 15% and 20%), in order to evaluate the interaction, viability and resistance of both substances separately and together, exposed to storage for 90 days at room temperature (25 °C), refrigeration (7 °C) and freezing (−18 °C), evaluation in the heat treatment of 63 °C for 30 min and 72 °C for 15 s and gastrointestinal simulation. When studying the interaction of L. acidophilus with the oil, it was observed that the treatment with 20% oil obtained the best performance in most of the tests carried out. The microparticles obtained positive results in protecting the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus and delaying the lipid oxidation of the oil during storage, with the refrigeration temperature (7 °C) standing out the most, the heat treatment of 72 °C for 15 s kept the microbiological load high, similar to the initial one. The gastrointestinal simulation showed protection of the probiotics and controlled release in the final portion of the small intestine. Furthermore, it is important to note that after storage at various temperatures, gastrointestinal digestion and heat treatments, the microcapsules containing oil effectively protected the bacteria, resulting in levels above 6 log CFU/g. In addition, high encapsulation efficiencies of over 89% were obtained for the probiotics and the oil.