, 2013). In addition, prebiotics have been successfully tested as co-components for microencapsulation and in the case of anhydrobiotics (viable probiotics stabilised in a dried format) have conferred a beneficial effect on cell viability (And and Kailasapathy, 2005 and Fritzen-Freire et al., 2012). The aims of the present work were to develop and investigate several plasticised gelatine-prebiotic composite edible films containing Lactobacillusrhamnosus GG. Four oligomer carbohydrate materials with known prebiotic functionality Nutlin3 ( Roberfroid, 2007a) (inulin, polydextrose,

glucose oligosaccharides and wheat dextrin) were evaluated for the first time in probiotic edible films. A probiotic strain (L. rhamnosus GG, SCH727965 supplier E-96666, VTT culture collection, Espoo, Finland) with established probiotic functionality was

used for the preparation of the edible films. Gelatine bovine skin type B, hexahydrate magnesium nitrate and glycerol (purity > 99%) were purchased from Sigma–Aldrich (Gillingham, UK). Inulin (Fibruline® S) was obtained from Cosucra SA (Wincoing, Belgium), whereas wheat dextrin (Nutriose®), polydextrose (Promitor®), and glucose-oligosaccharides (Glucofibre®) were kindly provided as a gift from Roquette, (France) and Tate & Lyle GmbH, (Germany) respectively. Preparation of stock culture was carried out as described previously (Behboudi-Jobbehdar,

Soukoulis, Yonekura, & Fisk, 2013). Growth of L. rhamnosus GG was carried out at 37 °C for 48 h under anaerobic conditions in plastic jars containing Anaerogen® (Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, UK). The obtained cell culture broth (found in the stationary bacterial growth stage) was aseptically transferred to sterile 50 mL plastic centrifuge tubes (Sarstedt Ltd, Leicester, UK) and centrifuged at 3000g for 5 min. Supernatant SSR128129E liquid was discarded and the harvested bacterial cells were twice washed with phosphate buffer saline (Dulbecco A, Oxoid Ltd, Basingstoke, UK). Gelatine and prebiotic fibres (wheat dextrin, polydextrose, glucose-oligosaccharides and inulin) were dispersed in distilled water at 50 °C to obtain five individual biopolymer solutions. Glycerol was adjusted at the 40% w/w of the aliquots’ total solids. In all cases, the total solids composition of the solutions was 4% w/w of biopolymers and 1.6% w/w of glycerol. The gelatine solution was left to fully hydrate for 30 min at 50 °C, 1:1 mixed with the prebiotic solutions, and after pH adjustment at 7.0 with sodium hydroxide 0.1 M, the obtained aliquots were heat treated at 80 °C for 15 min to destroy pathogens and to fully dissolve gelatine. Then, the heated aliquots were cooled at 40 °C and kept isothermally to avoid gelatine setting until inoculation with probiotics. Six pellets of L.