Yacon Flour (Smallanthus sonchifolius) as Wall Material for Microencapsulation of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG: Characterization of Microparticles and Its Use in Pitaya Jelly

Different prebiotics have already been used as wall material for the microencapsulation of probiotics by spray drying. In this study, microparticles were developed by spray drying, using yacon flour, rich in oligosaccharides, combined with conventional materials such as maltodextrin and gelatin to microencapsulate Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG. The microparticles obtained were evaluated for encapsulation efficiency, probiotic resistance to heat, and pH variations. The most resistant microparticle was selected. After selection, the microparticle was characterized and evaluated for the viability of the probiotic during 120 days in different storage conditions (− 18, 8, and 25 °C), survival to gastrointestinal conditions in vitro, and its behavior in pitaya jelly. Among the evaluated treatments, the microparticle containing 11.11% maltodextrin, 2.22% gelatin, and 6.67% yacon potato flour showed encapsulation efficiency of 69.92%, high thermal resistance (> 64%) of the probiotic, and survival of the same in acidic pH (> 76%). During storage for 120 days, the probiotic remained viable in the microparticle with counts > 6 log CFU.g⁻¹ under freezing and resisted in vitro simulated gastrointestinal conditions with approximately 5.64 log CFU.g⁻¹ of viable cells. The microparticle provided high survival (> 70%) of the probiotic after 60 days of storage at 8 °C in pitaya jelly, causing slight variations in the pH and viscosity of the product. Thus, it is believed that the microparticle composed of maltodextrin, yacon potato flour, and gelatin can carry and protect L. rhamnosus GG during jelly processing and storage steps, being a new alternative to be used in spray drying microencapsulation technology and development of potentially symbiotic foods.