Overall, the use of lyoprotectants led to high viability of L. casei
cells even after 12 months of storage, which is very important for
application in dairy industry. For example, 8.7 and 9.3 log cfu/g
viable immobilized cells on apple pieces and casein, respectively,
were determined after 12 months of storage at 4 C. These high
viability rates, which are higher than the minimum requirement for
conferring a probiotic effect (6 log cfu/g), are expected to lead to
adoption of the proposed technology by the food industry