Recent advances in the encapsulation of probiotics as functional foods for colorectal cancer prevention

Probiotics are widely used in food and supplements for their health benefits. Increasing evidence shows that certain strains can help prevent colorectal cancer (CRC). Traditional probiotics have been shown to prevent carcinogenesis via secretion of anti-proliferative metabolites, downregulation of inflammatory or oncogenic pathways, and reduction of cell proliferation, whereas novel bacterial strains may also confer benefits as Next Generation Probiotics (NGPs). However, to deliver these probiotics effectively to the colon, their primary site of action, the microbes must survive through the harsh gastrointestinal environment. Particularly, NGPs are sensitive to oxygen, making it challenging for their practical use. Thus, their protection is of paramount importance. This review discusses the use of traditional probiotics and newly discovered NGPs as functional food for CRC prevention, the current encapsulation techniques and materials used for effective encapsulation of the probiotics, and the challenges and future directions for the development of encapsulated probiotics as functional food. • Both traditional probiotics and NGPs can be used in diets for CRC prevention. • The efficacy of each probiotic strain varies significantly across individuals. • The efficacy of probiotics is limited by vulnerability and colonization challenges. • Encapsulation is key to expanding the range of sensitive probiotics for consumer use.