Microencapsulation of Saccharomyces Boulardii: Materials, Gastrointestinal Protection, Functional Food Applications, and Translational Challenges Publisher



Ahmadi M ; Shahbahrami R ; Khajeh F ; Marand M J ; Bazzaz S ; Mofid V ; Hosseini S M
Source: Trends in Food Science and Technology Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Saccharomyces boulardii is a non-pathogenic probiotic yeast with several advantages over many bacterial probiotics, including greater tolerance to gastric acidity, bile salts, and antibacterial agents. However, these properties do not fully prevent losses in viability during food processing, drying, storage, or exposure to challenging food-matrix and simulated gastrointestinal conditions. For this reason, microencapsulation of S. boulardii should not be presented only as a means of gastric protection, but rather as a condition-dependent approach for improving survival under specific technological, storage, and food-matrix stresses. Scope and approach: This review critically examines microencapsulation strategies developed for S. boulardii, focusing on wall-material composition, encapsulation methods, processing and storage stability, simulated gastrointestinal survival, and performance across different food matrices. It compares polysaccharide-, protein-, lipid-, and multilayer-based systems, including alginate composites, whey- and rice-protein formulations, skim-milk-based systems, hydrogenated palm-oil coatings, ionic-gelation beads, spray-dried particles, electrosprayed capsules, and multilayer coating approaches. Key findings and conclusions: Current evidence indicates that the effectiveness of microencapsulation for S. boulardii depends strongly on the encapsulating material, processing method, storage conditions, and food matrix. Alginate-based composites, especially those combined with chitosan, inulin, agavins, whey protein, or plant-derived materials, generally improve yeast survival during simulated gastrointestinal exposure and refrigerated storage. Protein-based systems appear promising for spray-dried formulations, whereas lipid and multilayer systems may be particularly useful in thermally processed foods, such as baked products. At the same time, several studies show that free S. boulardii cells can remain sufficiently viable in some mild refrigerated or sugar-rich matrices, meaning that encapsulation is not always required. Unlike broader reviews on probiotic encapsulation or natural encapsulating materials, this review provides an organism-specific synthesis focused on S. boulardii. It connects material selection with processing stress, storage stability, food-matrix performance, and current limitations. Future research should go beyond viable-cell counts and examine whether encapsulation preserves strain-specific probiotic functions after processing and digestion. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd