Encapsulation of bifidobacteria in natural biopolymers: Advances, challenges, and applications in dairy products

Encapsulation of Bifidobacteria with natural biopolymers has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance the viability of probiotics in dairy systems. While Bifidobacteria confer well-established health benefits, their industrial application is hindered by sensitivity to processing and storage conditions. This review critically evaluates encapsulation methods, including extrusion, emulsification, spray drying, and freeze drying, as well as natural polymers such as alginate, chitosan, carrageenan, gelatin, and starch, with a focus on their ability to maintain the stability of probiotics. Beyond summarizing current techniques, we highlight persisting gaps in scalability, cost efficiency, and consumer acceptance, issues often overlooked in earlier reviews. By integrating recent advances in material science with food engineering perspectives, this article outlines pathways for industrial translation. It distinguishes itself by focusing on how encapsulation strategies can be optimized to overcome these barriers, ultimately enabling broader adoption of probiotic-enriched dairy products.