Encapsulation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum in oil-phase gels O/W high internal phase emulsions: Improvement of storage stability and gastrointestinal viability

Probiotics offer health benefits but often lose viability during processing and digestion, hindering their use. Therefore, we developed oil-phase gel O/W high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) by incorporating beeswax to encapsulate Lactiplantibacillus plantarum subsp. Plantarum ( L. plantarum ). The incorporation of 1% and 2% beeswax reduced droplet size while improving the physical stability and strengthening the gel structure of the HIPEs. Crucially, incorporating beeswax markedly improved the retention of L. plantarum within the HIPEs oil phase. In addition, the oil-phase gelled HIPEs enhanced the thermal resistance of L. plantarum at 72 °C and 65 °C. It also imparted storage stability, which was 7.42 log 10 CFU/g with 1% beeswax for 30 days storage at 4 °C. The addition of beeswax to the oil phase of HIPEs minimized L. plantarum 's viability loss in the gastrointestinal tract. This study contributes to the development of a probiotic emulsion encapsulation system that reaches the colon with high viability.