calcium alginate

Two types of probiotic cheese, with free and microencapsulated bacteria, were manufactured in triplicate under the same conditions. The number of viable cells during 182 days of storage in refrigerated conditions was evaluated. The number of viable cells of Lactobacillus acidophilus was reduced significantly from day 28 to day 182 of storage period in both types of cheese, but reduction in the cheese containing free cells (5.1 ± 0.67 log cfu g1) was significantly p < 0.05 higher than the cheese containing microencapsulated cells (11.00 ± 0.58 log cfu g1). The results showed that, microencapsulation in calcium alginate gel and resistant starch was able to increase the survival rate of L. acidophilus La5 in Iranian white brined cheese after 6 months of storage.

This study investigated the effects of five initial tannin contents (1.8, 2.8, 3.8, 9.8 and 17.8g of acid tannic/L) on the kinetics of red wine fermentation, using yeast immobilized in calcium alginate gel. Our experimental results showed that in the medium with high tannin content (9.8 and 17.8g of acid tannic/L), maximum cell density and maximum specific growth rate of the immobilized cells were higher than those of the free cells. In all cases, the glucose utilization rate and ethanol production rate of the immobilized yeast were always higher than those of the free yeast. Moreover, using immobilized yeast in wine fermentation decreased pH value and volatile acidity of the culture. Thus the colloidal and biological stability and the organoleptic characteristics of the final product were ameliorated.