Electro-encapsulation of Lactobacillus casei in high-resistant capsules of whey protein containing transglutaminase enzyme

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the possibility of obtaining natural high-resistant protein capsules from aqueous solution of whey protein containing transglutaminase(TG) enzyme through electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) as an appropriate system, and freeze-drying (FD) technique as the control method for encapsulation of Lactobacillus easel. A stable cone jet was achieved in a certain electrical conductivity, surface tension, and viscosity values equal to 1681 +/- 8.49 mu S, 48.97 +/- 0.02 mN/m, and 51.96 +/- 0.78 cP, respectively. Spherical water-resistant capsules with an average diameter of 3.09 +/- 1.04 mu m were obtained through the EHDA process. A comparison between the EHDA and FD revealed higher encapsulation efficiency of the electrospraying technique as well as greater viability of L. casei under the simulated gastrointestinal (GI) tract. DSC results showed that the enthalpy of cross-linked samples was decreased by incorporating TG enzyme. In contrast to freeze-dried structures, electrosprayed capsules revealed better protection during the storage, especially in the second and third months.