Mechanism of co-encapsulating highland barley β-glucan to improve the gastrointestinal bioavailability of probiotics.

Incorporation of HBBG at 0.5% (w/w) significantly improved probiotic viability during spray drying encapsulation.

• The concentration of HBBG used was 0.5% w/w.
• HBBG incorporation enhanced microcapsule morphology during spray drying in addition to improving viability.
• The study examined the protective effects of co-encapsulating HBBG with probiotics on cell bioavailability.

HBBG-containing microcapsule samples demonstrated superior probiotic survival rates (>8.5 Log CFU per g) during gastrointestinal digestion.

• Survival rates exceeded 8.5 Log CFU per g in HBBG-containing microcapsule samples.
• Superior survival was demonstrated in both in vivo and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion assays.
• The results indicate that HBBG co-encapsulation protects probiotics from environmental stress during gastrointestinal transit.

Co-encapsulation with HBBG promoted the production of short-chain fatty acids, particularly acetic acid, during gastrointestinal digestion.

• Acetic acid production reached 9.22 mM in HBBG-containing samples.
• Short-chain fatty acid production was measured as part of the functional assessment of HBBG's prebiotic potential.
• Acetic acid was specifically identified as the predominant short-chain fatty acid produced.

HBBG co-encapsulation significantly enhanced the growth of beneficial gut microbiota, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

• Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were identified as the primary beneficial gut microbiota that were enhanced.
• The growth enhancement was described as significant.
• This finding highlighted the prebiotic potential of HBBG and its synergistic role with probiotics.

Environmental stress during production and gastrointestinal transit adversely impacts probiotic viability, motivating the development of protective encapsulation strategies.

• Probiotics have shown considerable health benefits, especially concerning gastrointestinal health.
• Environmental stress during both production and transit through the gastrointestinal tract was identified as a key challenge.
• The study aimed to address this challenge through co-encapsulation with highland barley β-glucan.