Investigating
Cryoprotectant Effects on Saccharomyces boulardii as Probiotic Strain during Freeze-Drying
for Tablet Development
Azhar M.A.
Res. J. Biotech.; Vol. 20(3); 30-34;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/203rjbt030034; (2025)
Abstract
Freeze-drying is an effective method to maintain the therapeutic properties of probiotics
in a tablet form by solidifying and then sublimating frozen water in the culture
to increase their shelf life and stability. However, this method can also damage
probiotic cells and can impact their viability. Cryoprotectants can improve the
strain preservation of probiotics during drying, yielding a more superior and potent
final product, but their efficacy depends on the microorganisms, cryoprotectant
types and freeze-drying conditions. The present study looked at how different cryoprotectants
affected a chosen probiotic strain Saccharomyces boulardii on its ability to survive
after being freeze-dried for tablet manufacture. The yeast strain was harvested,
mixed with cryoprotectants of different concentrations (sorbitol, lactose, sucrose
and skim milk) and freeze-dried using a vacuum freeze dryer. After the powder was
rehydrated, a plate dilution method was conducted to determine the number of viable
cells. The results showed that using a cryoprotectant agent during freeze-drying
significantly improved the survival rate by up to 40% compared to the control (3.65%).
The study found that 10% skim milk exhibited the highest cell viability after freeze-drying
followed by 5% skim milk, 20% lactose, 10% sucrose, 10% sorbitol, 2.5% sorbitol
and 2% skim milk, indicating the beneficial role of cryoprotectants in preventing
ice formation and membrane damage during the process. The findings of this study
provided valuable insights into the preservation of probiotic viability during processing
and storage. These findings also have significant implications for the probiotic
supplement industry and can help to develop high-quality and effective probiotic
tablet formulations by identifying the most effective cryoprotectants for use in
tablet formulations.
