Impregnation of probiotics into porous TiO_2 support for enhanced viability

摘要

The viability of probiotics in titania (TiO2) support was assessed in simulated gastrointestinal environment. TiO2 support with macropores was synthesized using titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) as a precursor and impregnated with probiotics including Lactobacillus paracasei and Streptococcus salivarius, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy analysis after impregnation with probiotics revealed that the probiotics were located inside the macropores of the support. Compared with non-impregnated free probiotics, the impregnated probiotics survived at a higher rate in a simulated gastrointestinal environment. The probiotics impregnated in the TiO2 support exhibited low viability in the simulated stomach environment, but their viability recovered in the simulated intestinal environment. However, free probiotics did not exhibit any recovery of viability under the same conditions. These results suggest that the TiO2 support enhanced the stability of the impregnated probiotics against environmental stress in the gastrointestinal tract.