Viability Maintenance of Probiotic Alkalihalobacillus clausii by Coencapsulation with Centella asiatica Polyphenol in a pH-Responsive Composite Synbiotic Hydrogel

Coencapsulation of polyphenols and probiotics is an advanced delivery system that entraps beneficial bacteria and antioxidant phytochemicals together within a protective matrix. The present investigation explores the potential of developing a hybrid synbiotic hydrogel to coencapsulate Centella asiatica -extracted polyphenols and probiotic Alkalihalobacillus clausii cells for controlled intestinal delivery. Here, an ionotropic gelation method was used in which 3% (w/v) alginate and 2% (w/v) pectin were used as base polysaccharides and cross-linked with a 5% calcium chloride solution. The results indicated that a 72% probiotic load was coencapsulated into the hydrogel matrix. No significant loss of the encapsulated agents was observed for 35 days up to 37 °C. Then, physiochemical analyses were conducted to study the chemical structure and visual representation of the gel beads. Further, in the gastrointestinal transit phase, the hydrogel showed a cumulative release of 85 ± 0.025% total polyphenols and 81 ± 0.065% viable cells in the simulated intestinal environment. Furthermore, the bacterial secretome and polyphenol showed a combined bactericidal effect (>2.5 log CFU/mL reduction) on pathogenic bacteria. Hence, these findings demonstrate that this coencapsulated synbiotic formulation could be utilized for new functional foods and nutraceutical supplements for better health benefits.