Effect of temperature and packaging materials on the shelf-life stability and in vitro properties of microencapsulated and spray-dried synbiotic legume-based instant beverage powder

Abstract

The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of different packaging materials and storage temperatures on the stability and in vitro properties of microencapsulated spray-dried synbiotic kidney-mung bean beverage (KMB) powder. The formulation for the synbiotic KMB powder has been explored in our previous work. The present study focuses on the evaluation of the shelf-life of the same synbiotic KMB powder. The synbiotic powder was packed in polypropylene and aluminum laminates and stored at 25, 30, and 35 °C. The survivability of probiotic Lacticaseibacillus casei in encapsulated spray-dried powder was studied under simulated gastric conditions for 70 days. At all three storage temperatures, the count remained >10⁸ CFU mL⁻¹ for the first 21 days. Additionally, moisture content increased and color value (L*) decreased with increasing storage time, irrespective of packaging material. The encapsulated synbiotic powder in Al-laminate pouches also showed better prebiotic activity when compared to PP laminates. An acceptable sensory score (6 out of 10) and low microbial load (<10⁶ CFU mL⁻¹) also suggested that the shelf life of synbiotic KMB powder in polypropylene and aluminum laminates was 63, 35, and 35 days at 25, 30, and 35 °C, respectively.