Biomics

This article examines the stability of alginate-chitosan capsules containing live Lactobacillus plantarum L1 cultures over a three-month storage period. Culture fluid and biomass precipitated from it were used. The relevance of this study lies in the critical importance of maintaining high viability of probiotic microorganisms at all stages—from production to delivery to the target gastrointestinal tract. Encapsulation of live cells is considered a key technological approach for solving two fundamental problems in probiotic therapy: ensuring targeted delivery to the intestine, bypassing the aggressive acidic environment of the stomach, and significantly increasing the shelf life of the drug by creating a protective shell. A simple and easily scalable syringe-based droplet method was used as the primary microencapsulation method. Formation of the capsule's main polymer matrix is based on the ionic cross-linking reaction of sodium alginate with calcium chloride. A double-coating strategy using chitosan was implemented to increase mechanical strength and reduce permeability of the final capsule shell. The key control parameters for assessing encapsulation efficiency and system stability were the colony-forming unit (CFU) titer, reflecting the viability of the microflora, and the capsule moisture level, indicating their permeability to the surrounding liquid environment. The previous phase of the study included technology refinement and optimization to achieve optimal conditions. An initial stability assessment was performed visually by observing the color development of the capsules in distilled water. The variable parameters included the cross-linking time of sodium alginate with calcium chloride, the reaction time with chitosan, and the concentration of the initial sodium alginate solution. The degree of chitosan deacetylation was also tested as an incoming control parameter.

encapsulation, sodium alginate, chitosan, probiotics, lactobacilli

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