DTU Food collaborates with Chr. Hansen to strengthen probiotics’ longevity

Live probiotic bacteria are valuable for supporting a healthy immune system and their balance in the intestine is important. As a result, consumer demand for probiotics is on the rise. However, in order to be effective the probiotic bacteria must stay active and functional when incorporating in foods that typically have a high liquid content or are stored at room temperature. Without the right coating, the probiotics do not survive long enough in the foods to benefit the consumer.

The project PROBIO is developing revolutionizing technology that can preserve the probiotics much more efficiently and cost-effective with a new innovative, all-natural coating..

A mutual beneficial collaboration

The collaboration will generate knowledge that makes Chr. Hansen able to offer probiotic bacteria in an even wider range of products than they offer today, focusing also on antiallergenic foods and drinks.

Chr. Hansen is providing facilities and their long expertise in probiotic bacteria, while National Food Institute is contributing with their research and substantial knowledge in encapsulation techniques, polysaccharides and delivery systems.

In National Food Institute, the encapsulation of probiotics is processed using ‘electrospray technologies’. Electrospray, with its ability to produce many small droplets at microscale or nanoscale from the breakup of a flowing liquid by means of an electrical field, has opened new routes to the encapsulation technologies. Electrospray is a coating and fast-drying process that can be operated at aqueous solutions, at room temperature without heat, without affecting the viability of the living bacteria cells.

Halfway through the project

A range of polysaccharides can be used to encapsulate the probiotics by the use of electrical fields and electrospray processing methods.

As a result, the survival of the coated probiotic cells was prolonged substantially, and the coated probiotics can remain more active and stay alive at different conditions. This is an important step in the right direction of the PROBIO project. The next two years the project will continue to focus on the coating and stability of probiotics using electrical fields, as well as their delivery at the body.