Novel approaches for co-encapsulation of probiotic bacteria with bioactive compounds, their health benefits and functional food product development: A review

The growing awareness of functional food products for imparting potential health benefits has focused on the co-encapsulation of probiotic bacteria with bioactive compounds in a single matrix. The co-encapsulation process with low cost and improved bioactivity is a novel approach for the development of therapeutic and nutraceutical food products. This review focuses primarily on the advantages of co-encapsulation of probiotic bacteria with bioactive compounds such as omega-3 fatty acids, green tea extracts, curcuminoids, antioxidants from fruit juice extracts, agroindustrial co-products, prebiotics in a single delivery format by employing different technologies. The health potentials of probiotics and bioactives have been emphasized as well as the desired characteristics of the produced co-microcapsules for incorporation in the food products has been briefly discussed. This review emphasizes that co-encapsulation of bioactive compounds and probiotic bacteria in a single product provides synergistic health benefits and enhances the bioactivity of individual components thus improve the adherence of probiotic bacteria to the intestinal wall during digestion. This process has convenience and cost advantages over microencapsulation of individual ingredients. The co-encapsulation process has also improved the storability of food products with a long term stabilization of probiotic bacteria and bioactive compounds. A future scope is to be needed to explore the release mechanism of these ingredients in a simulated animal model system along with the incorporation of co-microcapsules in the formulation of cost-effective functional food products.