Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 is one of the most studied probiotic strains and often used in dairy product formulations.
However, the survivability of La-5 was affected by environmental factors. To improve its survivability, lactobacillus
acidophilus La-5 was microencapsulated using mixture of whey protein and polysaccharides (sodium alginate, λ-carrageenan,
inulin, lentinan and glucose) as wall materials and was used in yoghurt making. The encapsulated La-5 only decreased from
2.8 × 106 to 1.2 × 105
in simulated gastric fluid. Yoghurts added with or without microencapsulated La-5 were analyzed for
probiotic survivability, physico-chemical and textural properties. All samples showed similar trends in decrease of pH and
increase of the titratable acidity during fermentation. Samples showed higher hardness values when compared with samples
with non-microencapsulated cultures. Microencapsulation application in yoghurt resulted in a significant increase (p<0.05) in
all textural parameters analyzed except springiness. The microencapsulated La-5 was more resistant to acid than the control,
and survived better as well in yoghurt during storage.
