Development of Calcium Alginate Hydrogels with Chlorella, Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and Encapsulated Probiotics in Edible Jelly-Gums with Enhanced Bioactivity

TL;DR

Researchers created edible jelly gums with probiotics and plant-based ingredients that have better antioxidant properties and probiotic survival than commercial products.

Contribution

A novel edible jelly gum formulation using encapsulated probiotics, Chlorella, and carob with enhanced bioactivity and probiotic viability is introduced.

Findings

Encapsulated jelly gums showed higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity compared to commercial products.

Microencapsulation improved probiotic survival by 14% reduction in Logcfu/mL after 18 h of simulated digestion.

The jelly gums had favorable texture and sensory characteristics with non-perceptible bead presence.

Abstract

This study aimed to develop functional calcium alginate hydrogels incorporating Chlorella vulgaris, carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.), and encapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus in edible jelly gums with enhanced bioactivity and probiotic viability. Laboratory-prepared jellies containing encapsulated probiotics (encapsulated LAB-Jelly) and those with free cells (LAB-Jelly) were compared with a commercial jelly sample. The formulations were evaluated for phenolic content, antioxidant capacity and antiradical activity, texture, sensory characteristics, and probiotic survival under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The encapsulated LAB-Jelly exhibited significantly higher total phenolic content (4.6 ± 0.1 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (25.9 ± 0.1 mg Fe+2/g) compared to the commercial product, mainly due to the presence of carob and Chlorella. Texture analysis showed lower hardness (21.8 N) but comparable elasticity (89.3%) and cohesiveness (72.8%) comparative to commercial jelly gum, while sensory evaluation confirmed their favorable acceptability and non-perceptible bead presence. Microencapsulation achieved 75% efficiency and improved probiotic survival during gastrointestinal simulation after 18 h (14% reduction in Logcfu/mL compared to 30% of the free probiotics). Overall, the combination of alginate encapsulation, Chlorella, and carob produced edible jelly gums with improved antioxidant and textural properties, offering a promising delivery system for functional foods enriched with probiotics and plant-based bioactives.

Figures