The effect of microencapsulation with succinylated alginate on the viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus and the qualitative and sensory properties of yogurt during the storage

The use of the microencapsulation technique can lead to an increase in the survival of probiotics in dairy products during storage. Chemical modification is one of the proposed strategies to improve the protective ability of alginate used in microencapsulation. In the current work, the effect of succinylated alginate and its application as a micro-coating on the preparation of Lactobacillus acidophilus microcapsules was evaluated on the qualitative properties (pH, acidity, syneresis, and water holding capacity), sensory properties, and survival of this bacteria in yogurt during 21 days of storage at 4°C. For this purpose, four samples of yogurt including yogurt without L. acidophilus, yogurt containing free L. acidophilus, yogurt containing microencapsulated L. acidophilus with native alginate, and yogurt containing microencapsulated L. acidophilus with succinylated alginate, was prepared. The results of qualitative tests showed that the acidity and syneresis of yogurt containing succinylated alginate microcapsules were lower while the pH and water holding capacity were higher than the other experimental groups. Also, the results of microbial counting and sensory evaluation showed that the microencapsulation of L. acidophilus using succinylated alginate was significantly increased its survival during the storage time (p < /em><0.05) without any adverse effects on the sensory properties. Therefore, microencapsulation with succinylated alginate can be suggested as an effective approach to improve the survival of probiotics in yogurt.