Porous cellulose microgel particle: A fascinating host for the encapsulation, protection, and delivery of lactobacillus plantarum

Advances in probiotic markets are always restrained by a low viable loading capacity and poor viability. Herein, cellulose microgels (CMs) with high porosity of 95.83 ± 0.38%, prepared by the sol-gel transition method, turned out to be a hospitable host that accommodated a large number of viable Lactobacillus plantarum higher than 10⁹ colony-forming units (cfu)/ g. The unique porous structure fascinated probiotics to penetrate into the core of microgels. The conjugation with alginate helped for better acid resistance and bacterial survival of the probiotics. In comparison to Ca-alginate gels, core-shell gels showed sustainable release of L. plantarum cells without damage of viability, lasting for 360 min in simulated intestine fluid. The cellulose host helped to sustain the viable cell release for a longer duration and afford better shelter for L. plantarum cells as a result of the porous structure and rigid supporting property. The core-shell gels are promising for constructing targeted delivery vehicles of bioactive nutrients.