摘要
Different studies have attributed health benefits to Lactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716. However, the main problem associated with probiotics is their low resistance to environmental and technological factors. In this sense, capsules can provide a shell protection and a dosage form that is easy to swallow. For these reasons, the aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of Lactobacillusfermentum CECT 5716 in gelatin and gastro-resistant capsules during a period of 12 months at RT （room temperature） and 4 ℃. The number of encapsulated cells remained relatively constant after six months of storage, since there were no statistically significant differences compared to the initial time （p 〉 0.05）. Moreover, capsules are able to maintain a therapeutic level of bacteria （109 CFU/capsule） during the total period of storage. Gelatin capsules seem to protect worse probiotic than gastro-resistant （HPMC （hydroxy propyi methyl cellulose）） capsules. Furthermore, capsules stored at 4 ℃ show a low level of viability. These results suggest that HPMC capsules are an optimal dosage form for L. fermentum CECT 5716 and that the recommended condition of storage is room temperature rather than 4 ℃.
