Spray Drying of a Vaginal Probiotic Strain ofLactobacillus acidophilus

Abstract

This work presents a study of the spray-drying process of a vaginal strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus in order to enhance the cells viability and probiotics properties during storage. The results show that the powder obtained presents dried strain viability in the range of 10 ⁸ Morgan , C. ; Herman , C. ; White , P. ; Vesey , G. Preservation of micro-organisms by drying; a review . Journal of Microbiological Methods 2006 , 66 , 183 – 193 . [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] –10 ⁹ Oliveira , A. ; Moretti , T. ; Boschini , C. ; Baliero , J. ; Freitas , L. ; Freitas , O. ; Favaro-Trindade , C. Microencapsulation of B. lactis (BI 01) and L. acidophilus (LAC 4) by complex coacervation followed by spouted-bed drying . Drying Technology: An International Journal 2007 , 25 ( 10 ), 1687 – 1693 . [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] (CFU/g) with product moisture content below 10%. Additionally, the dehydrated strain maintains its viability during two months when stored at 4°C, although its viability drops 1 order of magnitude when stored at 25°C for 1 month. It was verified that the range of operating conditions studied during drying (e.g., pressure, feed concentration, and additive) did not affect bacteria viability, except for increased air-drying temperature. The strain did not suffer important changes in its identity, morphology, or probiotic properties due to the spray-drying process. Using the mass-energy balance in the dryer, the volumetric overall heat transfer coefficient was determined as 2 × 10⁻⁴ (kg water evaporated/m ³ Chávez , B. ; Ledeboer , A. Drying of probiotics: Optimization of formulation and process to enhance storage survival . Drying Technology: An International Journal 2007 , 25 ( 7 ), 1193 – 1201 . [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] K s) for the experimental drying system.