Impregnation of Vitamin D₃ in Saccharomyces pastorianus Cells by Vacuum‐Assisted Biosorption: High Efficiency and Speed Compared to Conventional Method

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) deficiency is a major public health challenge worldwide. The development of reliable methods for its protection and distribution is essential for effective supplementation. In this study, vacuum-assisted biosorption followed by spray drying was investigated to determine the encapsulation of vitamin D3 in brewer yeast cells. The size of the particles produced ranged from 20.04 µm (plasmolyzed cells) to 37.40 µm (intact cells), with plasmolyzed cells exhibiting higher electronegativity (zeta potential: -19.8 to -20.0 mV). Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy revealed greater shrinkage of the plasmolyzed cells. Stability tests over 60 days revealed a 31.2% retention of vitamin D3 in intact cells and 20.6% in plasmolyzed cells. The plasmolysis process improved the efficiency of impregnation by about 42%. This method shows potential for stabilizing and protecting vitamin D3 in yeast-based delivery systems, which is a promising approach for sustainable food fortification.