Microencapsulación de microorganismos mediante secado por aspersión con aplicación industrial

Abstract

Functional products containing beneficial microorganisms are gaining popularity on the world market. The viability of microorganisms present in products can be affected during processing, storage and ingestion by the consumer. Microencapsulation by spray drying makes it possible to prolong the consumption time of said products and preserve cell viability. In spray drying, a fluid is atomized in a stream of hot air to obtain dry particles with low water content. Therefore, in the present job it is presented a review of the most recent research on the spray drying of efficient microorganisms with application in the human food, animal food, agricultural and environmental and healthcare industries, with specific reference to the best conditions that allow obtaining powders with high cell viability. The main topics covered are the types of microencapsulated microorganisms, the objective of the study, viable cell count, growth medium, encapsulating agents, operating parameters, equipment and storage conditions. Within the analysis carried out, it can be determined that bacteria, yeasts, cyanobacteria and fungi have been microencapsulated for different purposes. Especially a large number of studies on bacteria with application in the human food industry have been reported, while in the healthcare industry a minimal amount of research has been published. On the other hand, it has been determined that the genus and species, the wall materials, as well as the operating parameters significantly influence cell viability and microencapsulation efficiency.