Advances in extrusion-dripping encapsulation of probiotics and omega-3 rich oils

Background: Probiotics and omega-3 rich oils are two health-beneficial bioactives added to a variety of foods to enhance their functional properties. However, these bioactives are highly sensitive to degradation during food handling and transit through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). 

Scope and approach: The goal of this review was to describe the benefits and drawbacks of extrusion technology in the food industry, as well as the viability of probiotics and oxidative stability of omega-3 rich oils encapsulated by extrusion technology after exposure to in vitro and in vivo systems, storage, and in the food system. This review also highlights the co-encapsulation concept of multiple bioactives along with the synergistic effects of co-encapsulated probiotics and omega-3 rich oils. 

Key findings and conclusions: The survival of probiotics encapsulated using the extrusion process was found to be satisfactory in both the actual food system and the in vivo model. However, in the case of omega-3 rich oils, there is a lack of evidence to support the stabilization effect of the encapsulation technique using in vivo and real food models. A few studies found higher viability of probiotics and oxidative stability of omega-3 rich oils in co-encapsulation of these bioactives in one matrix rather than their single encapsulation by the extrusion technique. For the commercial application of co-encapsulated probiotics and omega-3 rich oils, future research should focus on researching the interactions of co-encapsulated probiotics and omega-3 rich oils with real food systems, as well as in vivo and clinical studies to determine product functionality and efficacy.