# Encapsulated Probiotics: Potential Techniques and Coating Materials for Non-Dairy Food Applications
## 5 Application of Probiotics Encapsulation in Non-Dairy-Based Food and Beverage Products
### Fruit and Vegetable-Based  
In contrast to dairy products, fruit and vegetable juices do not contain allergens, lactose, and cholesterol. In addition, the main macronutrients in fruit and vegetable juices are carbohydrates and dietary fibers, and they are rich in vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. In the sensory aspect, fruit and vegetable juices are refreshing and usually do not have undesirable tastes and flavors. Therefore, fruit and vegetable juices have been recognized as promising carriers for probiotics for all age and economic groups [2; 9]. Several factors could limit the survivability of probiotics in fruit and vegetable juices, including the type of probiotic strain used, the conditions of medium (e.g., pH, water activity, oxygen stress, presence of antimicrobial compounds, dyes, flavors, and preservatives), as well as the process of juice production (e.g., pasteurization process, storage temperature, type of packaging material used, and food handling practices) [9]. Among the factors, the pH condition of the medium used has the most effect on the viability of probiotics. Fruit juices naturally have a low pH value, while vegetable juices are generally less acidic. It has been reported that _Lactobacillus_ can resist and survive in pH conditions ranging from 3.7 to 4.3; however, _Bifidobacteria_ are less acid tolerant. Recently, encapsulated probiotics (_B. animals_, _B. bifidum_, _E. facium_, _L. acidophilus_, _L. casei_, _L. fermentum_, _L. lactis_, _L. plantarum_, _L. spharicus_, and _S. boulardii_) were incorporated into fruit and vegetable juices, such as carrot, cherry, grape, mandarin fruit, mango, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, raspberry, Sohiong, sugar cane, and tomato juices [7; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 20; 21]. Sour cherry juice has an approximate pH value of 3.5, rendering it an unsuitable medium for delivering probiotics. Encapsulation (technique: extrusion, material: sodium alginate) increased the viability of _E. facium_ in sour cherry juice during storage (from 2.18 to 5.39 log CFU/mL, 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 60 days; from 4.30 to 6.25 log CFU/mL, 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 21 days) and its tolerance against heat, acid, and digestion treatments [13]. Although alginate is the most used biomaterial in protecting probiotics, it is susceptible to low acid conditions. Low-acidic conditions change the particle shape of alginate beads, resulting in adverse effects on the release rate. In a recent study [17], Persian Gum was used with alginate and prebiotics (FOS and inulin) to encapsulate _L. lactis_ ABRINNW-N19 before being added to orange juice. Among the formulations tested in the study, alginate-Persian Gum + 2% inulin was the best as it contributed the highest encapsulation efficiency and best protection for the probiotics against harsh gastrointestinal conditions. Alginate-Persian Gum + 2% inulin-encapsulated _L. lactis_ also showed the highest viability during the storage period. In addition, it exhibited the best cell release activity and buffering ability in orange juice. The application of evolved extrusion technique (vibrating nozzle method) to encapsulate _L. casei_ DSM 20011 was demonstrated by [PERSON] et al. [18]. However, the vibrating nozzle method and biomaterial used (alginate) were reported to be insufficient in protecting the probiotics as the acidic conditions could still negatively affect the viability of _L. casei_ even when encapsulated. According to [PERSON] et al. [18], the addition of antimicrobial compounds, such as anthocyanins, can affect the viability of probiotics. [PERSON] et al. [21] also utilized the extrusion technique to encapsulate _L. plantarum_ in the developing probiotics-enriched mango juice. Soy protein isolate (20% (\(w/v\))) used in encapsulation increased the thermal resistance of _L. plantarum_ in mango juice, i.e., a slight decrease in the viability of _encapsulated L. plantarum_ was observed after the pasteurization. Generally, the pH value of grape juice ranges between 3.0 and 4.0.