Edible kefiran films as vehicle for probiotic microorganisms

PIERMARIA J., DIOSMA G., AQUINO C., ; GARROTE G.L; ABRAHAM A. G.

INNOVATIVE FOOD SCIENCE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 32 p. 193 - 199

1466-8564

In the presented work, we have developed edible kefiran films containing Lactobacillus plantarum CIDCA 8327and Kluyveromyces marxianus CIDCA 8154. Thickness, moisture content and optical properties of films werenot altered by the incorporation of microorganisms. During the film obtaining, lactobacillus concentration decreasedone logarithmic cycle and no loss on yeast viability was detected. Bothmicroorganisms included in glycerolplasticized kefiran films successfully maintained their viability during storage. After 35 days at 20°°CL. plantarum viability decreased less than 1.3 logarithmic cycles and K. marxianus 0.7 logarithmic cycles.The high susceptibility of free cells of lactobacilli to acid was slightly diminished by the inclusion in the kefiranmatrix. Inclusion of K. marxianus CIDCA 8154 significantly improved their survival to the sequential acid?biletreatment (36.3%) compared with the corresponding free cells (8.7%). The obtained edible kefiran films havegreat potential as an alternative way for probiotic delivery.Industrial relevance: The edible kefiran films containing probiotics presented in this manuscript are interestingmatrices for probiotic administration since the neutral polysaccharide kefiran, produced by lactic acid bacteria,has health-promoting properties itself. Films can be obtained simply and inexpensively. They are transparent,thin and have good mechanical properties among those constituted by biomacromolecules. Likewise, kefiranfilms can preserve the viability of probiotics in non-refrigerated conditions.