Development of edible films containing probiotics for oral and dental health

The oral cavity is one of the most diverse microbial area of the human body and the most related infections are periodontal diseases, endodontic infections and oral mucosa-related infections which arise due to an increase in the number of pathogenic microorganisms and a decrease in the number of beneficial microorganisms. Probiotics are living microorganisms that positively affect health therefore, probiotic consumption is required to recover the disrupted microbiological balance and prevent related diseases. The aim of the project is to produce edible films containing probiotic bacteria for sustaining oral and dental health. WPI (whey protein isolate), trehalose, and maltodextrin were used individually or as a mixture as coating materials and L.rhamnosus was used as a probiotic content which was encapsulated via spray-drying. The results demonstrated that WPI led to the highest recovery and lowest moisture content in encapsulated products. The results further indicated that the dissolution time of edible films prepared with pectin was relatively faster than tested alternatives. The amount of viability in the pectin based edible films containing 10 percent encapsulated product was also analyzed and the results indicated that the films exhibited approximately 105 CFU/ml which is roughly comparable to the recommended daily level. The effectiveness of prepared edible film against pathogens found in saliva (E.coli, S.aeurus, C.albicans, P.aeuroginosa) was also tested and a significant decrease in the viability of pathogens was detected while there was no significant deterioration in the viability of L.rhamnosus.