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The food industry is faced with a significant challenge in maintaining the viability and stability of probiotics during processing and in model food. Encapsulation technology offers a promising solution to this issue. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of Sodium Alginate (SA) and arabinoxylan (AX) composite encapsulation on the viability & stability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. The AX was extracted from maize and characterized, and then the SA-AX composite was used to encapsulate the probiotics. The resulting microbeads were analyzed for their morphological, molecular, and physicochemical properties. The MAX-SA microbeads demonstrated the highest efficiency at 97.9 ± 0.6%, followed by MAX at 95 ± 1.5% and SA at 92 ± 1.4%. The FTIR spectra revealed specific functional groups in the samples. The MAX-SA and MSA matrices had a dispersed structure, while the MAX matrix had a smooth microstructure. The microcapsules had an average size ranging from 718 ± 2 mm to 734 ± 2 mm. The viability of the encapsulated probiotics was assessed under storage conditions, simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and model food. Encapsulated probiotics showed higher viability than free probiotics in simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and pineapple juice fortified with encapsulated probiotics showed a higher probiotic count. Overall, the study found that MAX-SA was the most effective in maintaining probiotic viability under stressed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native sago starch has a high content of resistant starch (RS) which is associated with low glycaemic and beneficial to individuals with obesity and diabetes. Additionally, the RS is linked to the prebiotic properties exhibited by starch. This study aimed to evaluate the predicted glycaemic index (pGI) and probiotic growth rates of food formulated with native or modified starches in the formulation of a breakfast drink. The sago starch was modified via microwave heat treatment (MHT) with different treatment duration or via pre-treatment followed by MHT. The formulation of food was performed by replacing a portion of wheat starch at percentages of 25, 50, or 75%. The pGI was determined by measuring the amount of glucose produced during in vitro digestion. Meanwhile, the probiotic growth rates were conducted by monitoring the optical density of Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium lactis for 24 hr. Comparatively, food formulated with 50 and 75% starch showed lower pGI than other formulations. This was correlated with the increase of RS in food products. Meanwhile, the probiotic growth rates increase for a few of the formulations mostly with a higher pGI or low RS content which is contributed by the accessibility for fermentation to occur. In conclusion, the findings suggest the substitution of 50% wheat flour with native or modified sago starches is sufficient to increase RS content and lower the pGI of formulated food. In the future, investigation of RS components contributing to probiotic growth is needed to enable the exploration of new prebiotics with low glycaemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Native starches from various plant origins have limitations in their physicochemical properties. These properties influence the qualities of formulated food products, especially in appearance, texture, structure, and taste. Therefore, modification is required to improve the properties and functionalities of starch. Additionally, starch modification is able to enhance functional food properties. Functional food refers to natural or processed foods that contain bioactive compounds, which are clinically proven to promote consumer's health. These bioactive compounds have targeting mechanisms that can manage, prevent, or treat diseases. Modified starches display improvement in resistant starch (RS) content that exhibit functional food properties such as having a low glycemic index and promotes thegrowth of probiotics; Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. This review discusses the modification of starch, specifically heat moisture and microwave heat treatments, in improving the RS content. Furthermore, the relationship between RS and prebiotic properties of starch is also elaborated. Factors influencing the RS content include the amylose–amylopectin ratio and retrogradation period. Meanwhile, the influence of RS content on the prebiotic properties of modified starches is linked to its resistance to digestion. However, further investigation regarding the extent to which RS can contribute prebiotic properties is also an area of interest for future/subsequent exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, fish gelatin‐based nanofiber mats were embedded with different bioactive agents (BAs) such as cinnamaldehyde (CEO), limonene (LEO), and eugenol (EEO) at 1, 3, and 5% via electrospinning, and their effects on the morphological, structural, mechanical, thermal, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and bread packaging properties of the mats were evaluated. The gelatin mats presented different physicochemical properties due to the inherent differences in the chemical structure of the added BAs and their interaction with the gelatin chains. The conductivity, surface tension, and viscosity of gelatin dopes changed with the presence of the BAs, yet the electrospun nanofibers showed defect‐free uniform morphology as confirmed by electron microscopy, with no significant change in the chemical structure of gelatin. The melting temperature of gelatin mats remained in the range of 187–197°C. The mats presented lower tensile strength and elongation at break by the addition of BAs compared with the pristine gelatin mat. The highest radical scavenging (90%) was yielded by mats with EEO, while mats with CEO depicted better antibacterial activity with an inhibition zone of 18.83 mm. However, a dose‐dependent increase in the antifungal properties was noticed for all the mats. The mats retained almost 50% of BAs after 60 days of storage at 45% relative humidity. Electrospun gelatin mats inhibited the aerobic bacteria (81%) and yeast and molds (61%) in preservative‐free bread after 10 days of storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]