Calcium alginate provides a physical barrier to the immobilized
lactic acid bacteria and protects them from acidic conditions and
bile salts during their way to the gut. One important challenge for
cell encapsulation is the relatively large size of microbial cells
(typically 1e4 mm) or particles of freeze dried culture (>100 mm).
This characteristic limits cell loading for small capsules or when
larger size capsules are produced, can negatively affect the textural
and sensorial properties of food products in which they are added
(Anal & Singh, 2007). All of these challenges are effectively overcome
by bacterial cellulose.