Encapsulation of bifidobacteria in natural biopolymers: Advances, challenges, and applications in dairy products
Vinceković M. Živković L. Mutaliyeva B. Madybekova G. Turkeyeva E. Jalšenjak N. Issayeva A.
December 2025Elsevier B.V.
Food Hydrocolloids for Health
2025#8
Encapsulation of Bifidobacteria with natural biopolymers has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the viability of probiotics in dairy systems. While Bifidobacteria confer well-established health benefits, their industrial application is hindered by sensitivity to processing and storage conditions. This review critically evaluates encapsulation methods, including extrusion, emulsification, spray drying, and freeze drying, as well as natural polymers such as alginate, chitosan, carrageenan, gelatin, and starch, with a focus on their ability to maintain the stability of probiotics. Beyond summarizing current techniques, we highlight persisting gaps in scalability, cost efficiency, and consumer acceptance, issues often overlooked in earlier reviews. By integrating recent advances in material science with food engineering perspectives, this article outlines pathways for industrial translation. It distinguishes itself by focusing on how encapsulation strategies can be optimized to overcome these barriers, ultimately enabling broader adoption of probiotic-enriched dairy products.
Bifidobacteria , Dairy products , Health benefits , Microencapsulation , Natural biopolymers , Probiotics , Viability
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University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Division of agroecology, Department of Chemistry, Svetošimunska cesta 25, Zagreb, Croatia
MAuezov South-Kazakhstan Research university, Biotechnology department, Tauke khan avenue 5, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
O.Zhanibekov South-Kazakhstan pedagogical university, Chemistry department, Baitursynov street 13, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Scientific and Production Enterprise “Antigen” LLP, Almaty region, Karasai district, village Abai, Azerbayev street 4, Almaty, Kazakhstan
University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture
MAuezov South-Kazakhstan Research university
O.Zhanibekov South-Kazakhstan pedagogical university
Scientific and Production Enterprise “Antigen” LLP
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026