Survivability of Microencapsulation Probiotic Bacteria in Sodium Alginate-Goat Milk-β-Glucan Matrix under Freeze-drying Conditions for Dog Supplement

The successful oral delivery of probiotics to the canine gastrointestinal tract necessitates protection against harsh environmental conditions. This study investigated the efficacy of a novel alginate-goat milk-beta-glucan matrix for the microencapsulation of three canine-associated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains: Agrilactobacillus fermenti Pom1, Limosilactobacillus fermentum Pom5, and Pediococcus pentosaceus Chi8. High encapsulation efficiencies (88.25% to 99.33%) were achieved across all strains and cocktails, indicating successful cell entrapment. Following freeze-drying and two months of storage, microencapsulation significantly enhanced the survival of all probiotic strains and cocktails compared to their unencapsulated counterparts. Furthermore, microencapsulated probiotics demonstrated superior resilience under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. While all cells initially maintained high viability in simulated oral conditions, encapsulation provided robust protection in simulated gastric fluid, where only encapsulated cells remained viable after 60 minutes, whereas free cells were completely inactivated. P. pentosaceus Chi8 exhibited the highest survival in gastric conditions (76.23% after 120 minutes at 2 months), and both encapsulated cocktails survived up to 180 minutes. Similarly, under simulated intestinal conditions, encapsulated cells consistently maintained significantly higher viability than free cells, with A. fermenti Pom1 showing 83.38% viability after 180 minutes at 2 months, compared to 0% for its unencapsulated form. This comprehensive evaluation of the alginate-goat milk-beta-glucan matrix for these specific canine LAB strains under freeze-drying, storage, and simulated gastrointestinal conditions represents a novel contribution. The findings underscore the potential of this matrix as an effective delivery system for canine probiotics, paving the way for the development of stable formulations aimed at improving canine gut health.