Amakiri, Andreal ChiomaThantsha, Mapitsi Silvester2016-09-092016-09-092016-12Amakiri, AC & Thantsha, MS 2016, 'Survival of Bifidobacterium longum LMG 13197 microencapsulated in Vegetal or Vegetal-inulin matrix in simulated gastrointestinal fluids and yoghurt', SpringerPlus, vol. 5, no. 1, art. #1343, pp. 1-12.2193-1801 (print)2193-1801 (online)10.1186/s40064-016-3010-yhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/56691BACKGROUND : Vegetal BM 297 ATO is a food grade lipid based material extracted from vegetables, and certified for human consumption. In this study, Bifidobacterium longum LMG 13197 was encapsulated in Vegetal BM 297 ATO-inulin by freeze drying, followed by evaluation of its survival in simulated gastrointestinal fluids and yoghurt. Furthermore,the effect of incorporation of such microparticles on physico-chemical properties of yoghurt was examined. Unencapsulated and encapsulated B. longum cells were exposed to simulated gastrointestinal fluids for 6 h and yoghurt at 4 °C for 6 weeks, and then evaluated for viability using plate counts. RESULTS : By the end of exposure to simulated gastrointestinal fluids, encapsulated cells were >5 log units higher than their unencapsulated counterparts. Furthermore, their levels in yoghurt remained above 106 cfu mL−1 until the end of 6 weeks of storage while unencapsulated levels were at this level up to 5 weeks. There were no significant differences in pH values of yoghurts containing encapsulated cells throughout the storage (p > 0.05). However, significant differences in the lightness and yellowness of these yoghurts were recorded, although the total colour change was negligible. CONCLUSIONS : Vegetal-inulin encapsulation protected probiotics in gastrointestinal fluids and yoghurt with negligible effects to its appearance, thus can be used for fortification of yoghurt with probiotics.en© 2016 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Lipid excipientsMicroencapsulationProbioticsVegetalInulinSimulated gastrointestinal fluidsArticle