Stabilization of freeze-dried Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei JCM 8130T with the addition of disaccharides, polymers, and their mixtures

Abstract Although freeze-drying is a widely used dehydration technique for the stabilizing of unstable lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei JCM 8130T (L. paracasei) is destabilized after freeze-drying and subsequent storage. In order to improve the stability of freeze-dried L. paracasei, effects of disaccharides (sucrose and trehalose), polymers (maltodextrin; MD and bovine serum albumin; BSA), and their mixtures on the survival rate of freeze-dried L. paracasei were investigated. The survival rate of non-additive sample decreased slightly after freeze-drying but decreased drastically after subsequent storage at 37 °C for 4 weeks. The reduction was diminished by the addition of disaccharides and polymers. The stabilizing effect of disaccharides was not affected by the co-addition of MD. In contrast, the disaccharide–BSA mixtures had a synergistic stabilizing effect, and the survival rates were largely maintained even after storage. It is suggested that the synergistic effect originates from the conformational stabilization of the dehydrated bacteria.