Olive paste as vehicle for delivery of potential probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum 33

Use of probiotic bacteria and consumes in large — in novel foods to provide beneficial health effects has attracted an increasing interest by the food industry and fermented olives are an excellent example of a new generation of those foods from plant origin so as to assure maximum viability by the time of ingestion during processing and storage of food products, as well as during transit through the gastrointestinal tract. Our study focused on production, characterization and assessment of efficacy of microencapsulation upon survival of probiotic strains and sensory properties of the final olive paste throughout refrigerated storage. Microencapsulation appears to be an effective technique for strain survival, depending on the operating temperature and experimental results on tolerance to gastrointestinal-like conditions, and ability to adhere to intestinal epithelium is thereby presented and discussed. The sensory panel rated all experienced matrices as good, including overall acceptance without significant preference between them. However, the success of microencapsulation was more limited when incorporated into olive paste. Free cells of Lactobacillus plantarum 33 proved able to survive in olive paste during storage at refrigerated temperatures. •Microencapsulation in alginate and maize starch, did not adversely affect adhesion capacity following simulated digestion.•Gastric and intestinal stress affect y free and encapsulated L. plantarum 33 cells similarly.•Microcapsules incorporated in olive paste did not affect physicochemical and sensory properties.•Microencapsulation in alginate supplemented with maize starch failed to provide extra protection of probiotic strains•L. plantarum 33 as free cells can survive in olive paste throughout extended periods of refrigerated storage