A study on encapsulating probiotics through indirect carbonation using oyster shells = A study on encapsulating probiotics through indirect carbonation using oyster shells

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

About 300,000 tons of oyster shells are produced annually in Korea, but many of them are piled up without being reused. Oyster shells are suitable for use as a source of calcium after calcination because their primary gradient is calcium carbonate. Recently, the probiotics market has been growing rapidly as interest in health has increased. Commercially distributed probiotics require encapsulation (coating), and the survival rate of probiotics varies depending on the capsule material and manufacturing process. Existing technologies necessitate multiple coatings of probiotics, mainly by adding alginate, protein, polysaccharide, and other chemicals. Such additional processing cause problems such as long manufacturing time, process complexity, and increased production cost. Furthermore, many probiotics die due to coating deformation during freeze-drying, and the number of probiotics that die in the body despite coating is considerable. In this study, we developed a technology to encapsulate probiotics with calcium carbonate produced by indirect carbonation using oyster shells as a calcium source. We added probiotics to the hydrated suspension of the calcined shells and injected carbon dioxide to produce probiotics encapsulated with calcium carbonate (PEC). It was confirmed through SEM, CLSM, and TGA analyses that the probiotics were encapsulated with calcium carbonate and the probiotics within the capsule were alive. Through indirect carbonation using oyster shells, we developed a technology for encapsulating probiotics, which was more economical than the existing probiotic coating technology. Furthermore, since the capsule shape was not deformed during the drying process of PEC and probiotics were protected from gastric juice and bile, the intestinal arrival rate of probiotics was high, enabling the efficient intake of probiotics. In addition, since the encapsulated calcium carbonate was dissolved in the body, there would be advantageous to consume calcium nutrients.