Pea protein microencapsulation improves probiotic survival during gastrointestinal digestion

Abstract Microencapsulation of probiotics in plant-based matrices offers a sustainable approach to enhance their viability in functional foods. We evaluated the survival of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103) microencapsulated in food-grade pea protein isolate during simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The standardised INFOGEST static digestion model was used to simulate gastric (pH 2, 5, and 7) and intestinal conditions, and probiotic viability was measured using colony counts and flow cytometry. Non-encapsulated L. rhamnosus GG lost approximately 50% viability during gastric digestion and less than 20% of L. rhamnosus GG remained alive after subsequent intestinal digestion. In contrast, pea protein microcapsules maintained ≥80%–100% viability throughout digestion. Even at higher gastric pH (5–7), microencapsulation provided significantly better survival than free cells. These results demonstrate that pea protein-based microencapsulation of L. rhamnosus GG markedly improves probiotic survival under digestive conditions. This strategy offers promising applications in sustainable, plant-based probiotic fortified foods, where enhanced delivery of these beneficial bacteria is desired.