Co-encapsulation of Probiotics and Black Carrot Bioactives Offers New Route to Functional Foods

Researchers develop a co-encapsulation system enhancing probiotic survival and antioxidant delivery

A new study published in the Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization introduces an innovative co-encapsulation technique that merges probiotics with plant-derived antioxidants — a breakthrough promising to boost the nutritional value and shelf life of functional foods.

Led by Rumeyse Önal, Derya Dursun Saydam, and Ali Coşkun Dalgıç, the research focuses on combining Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 with bioactive compounds extracted from black carrot pomace — a by-product of juice and fermented beverage production rich in anthocyanins and polyphenols.

Why black carrot pomace matters

Black carrot (Daucus carota L. ssp. sativus var. atrorubens) is a potent but underutilized source of antioxidants. Its pomace — often discarded after juice production — contains high concentrations of polyphenols and anthocyanins, which are known to combat oxidative stress and support immune function. Turning this agricultural waste into a functional ingredient supports both sustainability and health innovation.

Spray-drying meets probiotics

To overcome the fragility of probiotics and plant phenolics during processing and digestion, the researchers used spray drying with gum Arabic as a natural encapsulating agent. The resulting microcapsules showed:

High solubility: 93.8 %
Uniform spherical morphology (confirmed by SEM imaging)
Microencapsulation efficiencies up to 86.96 % for phenolics and 76.78 % for probiotics
Thermal stability: glass transition temperature near 55 °C

Enhanced survival through digestion

Simulated gastrointestinal tests revealed strong resilience:

L. acidophilus survival reached 77.65 % under gastric and 50.98 % after intestinal conditions.
Phenolic retention remained 88.1 % in the gastric phase and 57.9 % bioavailability post-digestion.

These results demonstrate a controlled release profile, ensuring that more bioactives reach the intestines intact — a crucial step for probiotic efficacy and antioxidant delivery.

Storage stability and performance

After 12 weeks of storage, microcapsules kept 57 % of total phenolics at room temperature, following first-order degradation kinetics.
At lower temperatures (–18 °C and 4 °C), both probiotic viability and antioxidant activity were significantly better preserved.

Implications for functional food innovation

This work highlights co-encapsulation as an effective and scalable route to integrate probiotics and plant polyphenols into stable powders for yogurts, beverages, and nutraceutical products.
It aligns with the food industry’s drive toward sustainable valorization of agricultural by-products and next-generation gut-health formulations.

“Spray-drying co-encapsulation effectively enhances the stability and delivery of both probiotics and phenolic-rich compounds,” the authors conclude.
“This dual-protection system supports future applications in functional foods.”

Reference

Önal R., Dursun Saydam D., & Coşkun Dalgıç A. (2025). Co-encapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 and bioactive compounds from black carrot pomace by spray drying: in vitro release behavior, storage stability and physicochemical properties. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-025-03650-7