Evaluation of the Stability of Encapsulated and Free Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 Strain During ice Cream Storage

In this study, the probiotic lactobacillus acidophilus atcc 4356 (atcc 4356) strain was encapsulated using alginate by extrusion method. this encapsulated and free form atcc 4356 was added to ice cream and stored at −18 °c for 3 months. in the samples taken on the 0, 30, and 90th days of storage, the ability of atcc 4356 to survive was demonstrated comparatively. according to the results of the research, it was determined that free and encapsulated atcc 4356 added to ice cream preserved its vitality after 3 months of storage at −18°c but the decrease in their numbers was not at a statistically different level (p > .05). however, the fact that the free and encapsulated lb. acidophilus atcc 4356 numbers did not fall below 107 cfu/g during the 90-day storage period of the ice creams showed that the probiotics maintained their viability at the desired level in the final product. therefore, it is thought that ice cream can be used as a suitable food in terms of the bacteria showing therapeutic effects. according to the sensory analysis results of free and encapsulated probiotic containing ice creams, the encapsulation caused significant reductions on structure and texture (p < .05). also, overall acceptance rate of encapsulted probiotic containing ice creams was significantly lower than free cells containing product (p < .05). however, it was determined that the difference between free and encapsulated ice creams in terms of color, appearance, taste, and odor criteria was insignificant (p > .05).