Prolonging the Shelf-life of Probiotic Wheat Germ Containing Bacillus badius with Xanthan Gum by Freeze-Dried Encapsulation Method

Wheat germ is a high-nutrient byproduct of wheat milling, however it has a short shelf life and extremely restricted ideal intake due to the intensive activities of lipase and lipoxygenase. In order to increase the storage life of probiotic wheat germ containing Bacillus badius, the freeze drying method was used in this study, and the effect of using xanthan gum: maltoxtrin in different ratios of 0.3:1, 0.1:1, and 0.03:1 as the capsule wall on antioxidant properties and physicochemical characteristics of probiotic wheat germ during 360 days of storage was investigated. Three control treatments were also produced without probiotic bacteria and had the same quantities of gums as the treatments. A pure wheat germ sample was also analyzed on the first day, 180 and 360, along with the encapsulated samples, for better comparisons and the influence of applied treatments. The experiments used a completely random design, and the treatments were analyzed using SPSS software and comparing the averages using Duncan's multi-range test at the 99% confidence level. The use of xanthan gum and maltodextrin as wall materials increased the antioxidant qualities in encapsulated wheat germ, according to the findings of this study. The introduction of Bacillus badius bacteria as a probiotic resulted in a substantial decrease in oxidation indices in wheat germ (P<0.01). In general, it can be stated that Bacillus badius bacteria, as a powerful probiotic, can extend the storage time of encapsulated wheat germ. Furthermore, xanthan gum is proposed as a good material for wheat germ encapsulation to enhance shelf life.