The integration of nutraceuticals for effective disease prevention and health promotion is now of considerable relevance for both the pharmaceutical and food industries, as consumers are becoming more concerned with food quality and health-related issues. As a result, there is growing interest in the use of probiotics microbes in food, medicine, and various other beneficial products. Historically recognized for bolstering immune system and digestive health, probiotic-rich foods are now also implicated in potential benefits for weight management, heart health, and cognitive function. However, ensuring the stability, viability, and bioavailability of probiotic cells throughout food processing and digestion presents a significant challenge.
To overcome this, several encapsulation techniques have emerged as a promising solution to protect probiotics during their application in food products. Many encapsulation methods, including extrusion, emulsion, spray drying, spray chilling, and fluidized bed encapsulation are now being used in scientific research to effectively encapsulate probiotics. Microencapsulation, in particular, stands out for its ability to encase probiotics within a biopolymeric matrix, thereby safeguarding from adverse environmental conditions. As such, ongoing advancements in encapsulation technologies are crucial for leveraging the full therapeutic and commercial potential of probiotics in functional foods and beyond.
The aim of this Research Topic is to categorize the latest scientific discoveries concerning encapsulated probiotics in functional food production, particularly their applications as value-added bio-agents in the food industry.
The collection welcomes the following themes, but not limited to:´
1. Novel probiotics in food production
2. Nanoencapsulation of probiotics
3. Impact of encapsulation on probiotic functionality
4. Bioactivity, bioavailability and delivery of probiotics in different food matrices
5. Probiotic application as antioxidants and antimicrobial in foods
6. Probiotic based smart packaging systems and characterization
7. Challenges of probiotic incorporation in functional foods
8. Ethical, qualitative and regulatory aspects related with probiotics in food applications
9. Life cycle assessment of probiotic-based food production
Keywords:
Probiotics, Encapsulation, Bioavailability and Controlled Delivery, Food Preservation, Functional Food Applications
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The integration of nutraceuticals for effective disease prevention and health promotion is now of considerable relevance for both the pharmaceutical and food industries, as consumers are becoming more concerned with food quality and health-related issues. As a result, there is growing interest in the use of probiotics microbes in food, medicine, and various other beneficial products. Historically recognized for bolstering immune system and digestive health, probiotic-rich foods are now also implicated in potential benefits for weight management, heart health, and cognitive function. However, ensuring the stability, viability, and bioavailability of probiotic cells throughout food processing and digestion presents a significant challenge.
To overcome this, several encapsulation techniques have emerged as a promising solution to protect probiotics during their application in food products. Many encapsulation methods, including extrusion, emulsion, spray drying, spray chilling, and fluidized bed encapsulation are now being used in scientific research to effectively encapsulate probiotics. Microencapsulation, in particular, stands out for its ability to encase probiotics within a biopolymeric matrix, thereby safeguarding from adverse environmental conditions. As such, ongoing advancements in encapsulation technologies are crucial for leveraging the full therapeutic and commercial potential of probiotics in functional foods and beyond.
The aim of this Research Topic is to categorize the latest scientific discoveries concerning encapsulated probiotics in functional food production, particularly their applications as value-added bio-agents in the food industry.
The collection welcomes the following themes, but not limited to:´
1. Novel probiotics in food production
2. Nanoencapsulation of probiotics
3. Impact of encapsulation on probiotic functionality
4. Bioactivity, bioavailability and delivery of probiotics in different food matrices
5. Probiotic application as antioxidants and antimicrobial in foods
6. Probiotic based smart packaging systems and characterization
7. Challenges of probiotic incorporation in functional foods
8. Ethical, qualitative and regulatory aspects related with probiotics in food applications
9. Life cycle assessment of probiotic-based food production
Keywords:
Probiotics, Encapsulation, Bioavailability and Controlled Delivery, Food Preservation, Functional Food Applications
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.