Background and Objectives: Due to the high temperature and destruction of probiotics during baking, production of probiotic breads containing the viable bacteria has not been fully developed. In this study, to increase the viability of probiotics during bread baking, microencapsulation by emulsion method was used.

Materials and Methods: L. plantarum A7 was encapsulated by different concentrations of sodium alginate and corn starch. The microcapsules were mixed with dough ingredients, and the bread was prepared. The breads’ pH and viable counts of probiotic bacteria were determined after baking. The particle size of microcapsule that kept the highest number of live bacteria in the bread was measured. Also the breads’ texture at 0, 24 and 48 h storage (25°C) was evaluated.

Results: The obtained pH of breads was in the proper range to viability of probiotics and stability of microcapsules. The microencapsulation had significant effect on the viability of probiotics during bread baking (p<0.05), and microencapsulation could increase the number of alive bacteria in the bread (1-2 log in comparison to the free cells bacteria). The highest number of live bacteria after baking was 5.70 log cfu/g that had little difference with the standard range (6 log cfu/g). The particle size of this microcapsule was 329±29 µm. Furthermore, the encapsulated bacteria resulted into soft breads in comparison to the control sample (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The microencapsulation by emulsion method can be considered as an alternative to increase the viability of probiotic in bread with appropriate characteristics during storage.

Keywords: Probiotic, Bread, Microencapsulation, Emulsion, Sodium alginate