Co-encapsulation of probiotic bacteria L. rhamnosus GG and β-carotene by a novel biphasic encapsulation technique: Stability and in vivo anti-inflammatory properties

In this study, β-carotene (βC) was encapsulated in liposomes and spray-dried with the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), to obtain a biphasic structure with two functional components. Initially, the liposomes loaded with βC resulted in large multivesicular vesicles (LMVV) with spherical morphology, mean size of 1191 nm and entrapment efficiency of 81.33%. Then, the spray-drying of the mixture βC-LMVV with the LGG resulted in biphasic dried microparticles (BDM) with a spherical shape, retention of 64,48% of βC, and LGG survivor above 90%. The BDM showed high storage stability for 90 days at room temperature and, at the dose of 2000 mg/kg of BDM did not cause any acute toxicity in Wistar rats. In addition, at the same dose, presented significant anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced paw edema and pleurisy. Thus, the produced BDM could be an innovative ingredient with functional properties and also an efficient encapsulation strategy for βC.