3.1. Survival of microencapsulated bifidobacteria after spray drying and
viability during storage time
The effect of different encapsulating agents on the viability of
Bifidobacterium BB-12 microcapsules throughout storage at 4 °C and
at −18 °C is shown in Fig. 1 (a) and (b), respectively. All spray
dried microcapsules containing bifidobacteria showed high survival
for a period of up to 180 days of storage at both temperatures. In addition,
the count of viable probiotic cells was above the recommended
levels for probiotic food throughout the whole storage
time, i.e., equal to or greater than 6 log CFU g−1 of the product,