ABSTRACT
The ability of probiotics to alter gut community and render health-promoting effect, induce food producers to use them as bioactive agents. However, they are sensitive to adverse conditions that may encounter through production and in the human stomach. As a matter of fact, researchers tried to increase their bioavailability through various methods. Encapsulation is known as a promising technique that has been frequently applied to protect and deliver probiotic bacteria (i.e., Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species). The present chapter discusses the encapsulation of probiotics in many delivery systems such as emulsion, hydrogels, microgels, microcapsules, colloidosomes, and the Maillard reaction products (MRPs). It then highlights the viability and bioavailability of the encapsulated probiotics in food products and gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
