Effect of calcium alginate and resistant starch microencapsulation on the survival rate of Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and sensory properties in Iranian white brined cheese

Two types of probiotic cheese, with free and microencapsulated bacteria, were manufactured in triplicate under the same conditions. The number of viable cells during 182 days of storage in refrigerated conditions was evaluated. The number of viable cells of Lactobacillus acidophilus was reduced significantly from day 28 to day 182 of storage period in both types of cheese, but reduction in the cheese containing free cells (5.1 ± 0.67 log cfu g−1) was significantly p < 0.05 higher than the cheese containing microencapsulated cells (11.00 ± 0.58 log cfu g−1). The results showed that, microencapsulation in calcium alginate gel and resistant starch was able to increase the survival rate of L. acidophilus La5 in Iranian white brined cheese after 6 months of storage.