Development and application of gelatinized starches as wall materials for Lacticaseibacillus paracasei encapsulation

The physical modification of starches by extrusion leads to changes in their physicochemical properties due to the conditions of the process, such as high temperatures and shear stress. These properties allow extruded starches to have important applications that have been scarcely explored. Therefore, the aim of this research was to physically modify starches from varied botanical sources (rice, potato, and corn) through extrusion and evaluate their application as encapsulating materials for probiotics. The modified starches showed that extrusion promoted granule structural disorganization and gelatinization. This, in turn, reduced pasting and thermal properties, so starches were viable for microencapsulation via spray drying. All starches evaluated and modified were adequate wall materials for microencapsulation of high concentrations (>9 Log CFU/g) of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei, lactic acid bacteria with probiotic potential.