The influence of Lactobacillus bacteria type and kind of carrier on the properties of spray-dried microencapsules of fermented beetroot powders

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of bacteria type and carrier addition during microencapsulation process by spray-drying on the microorganism survival and physicochemical properties of fermented beetroot juice powder. Selected bacteria were as follows: L. fermentum, L. plantarum and L. brevis and its mixture in proportion 1:1:1. Fermented beetroot juice containing selected LAB was spray-dried at 160 °C. Maltodextrin and gum Arabic were used as drying carriers at 10% (w/w). All powders were stable (low water activity below <0.25, high dry matter content 95–98%). Bacteria type had the main influence on the chemical properties and amount of bacteria. The highest bacteria content was observed in powders with L. brevis as a starter, and the same was observed for polyphenols and betalain content. However, the method of drying fermented juices still needs to be refined due to the 50% reduction in the number of microorganisms during the drying process.