ABSTRACT
The International Dairy Federation (IDF) has raised the availability of a population of probiotic microorganisms from 106 CFU/g to at least 107 CFU/g in dairy products throughout their shelf-life. Therefore, it is mandatory to protect the probiotic microorganisms from an adverse environment and to maintain their viability. Encapsulation of probiotic microorganisms can ensure the controlled dosage using spray drying, freeze-drying, extrusion, coacervation, and spray chilling, etc. Electrospinning can be an alternative to these methods to encapsulate probiotics in the form of nano-microfibers with desired characteristics for food applications. Moreover, it is a cost-effective and scalable technology, and is carried out at ambient conditions without the risk of thermal damage to the microorganisms. This chapter focuses on various techniques for encapsulation of probiotic microorganisms.
