ABSTRACT
This study investigated spray drying a method for microencapsulating Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG using a gastrointestinal resistant composite matrix. An encapsulate composite matrix comprising green banana flour (GBF) blended with maltodextrin (MD) and gum arabic (GA). The morphology of resulted microcapsules revealed a near-spherical shape with slight dents and no surface cracks. Encapsulation efficiency and product yield varied significantly among the spray-dried microencapsulated probiotic powder samples (SMPPs). The formulation with the highest GBF concentration (FIV) exhibited maximum post-drying L. rhamnosus GG viability (12.57 ± 0.03 CFU/g) and best survivability during simulated gastrointestinal digestion (9.37 ± 0.05 CFU/g). Additionally, glass transition temperature (Tg) analysis indicated good thermal stability of SMPPs (69.3 - 92.9 â), while Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the structural integrity of functional groups within microcapsules. The SMPPs characterization also revealed significant variation in moisture content, water activity, viscosity, and particle size. Moreover, SMPPs exhibited differences in total phenolic and flavonoid, along with antioxidant activity and color values throughout the study. These results suggested that increasing GBF concentration within the encapsulating matrix, while reducing the amount of other composite materials, may offer enhanced protection to L. rhamnosus GG during simulated gastrointestinal conditions, likely due to the gastrointestinal resistance properties of GBF.