Preparation and characterization of Ganoderma lucidum spores-loaded alginate microspheres by electrospraying

Ganoderma lucidum spores (GLSs), popular functional food in preventive medicine, are susceptible to oxidative and acidic degradation during processing, storage and oral administration, resulting in the loss of sensory and nutritional qualities. The main objective of the study was to encapsulate the GLS in order to fully preserve the bioactivity of the ingredients as well as providing controlled and targeted delivery. Electrospraying was applied to prepare GLS-Alginate (GLS/A) micro beads in the current study. The size of GLS/A beads can be tailored by varying the applied voltage and drying processes. pH responsive release profiles of GLS/A beads were revealed from in vitro study in a simulated gastrointestinal environment: no release of GLS encapsulated beads in the simulated gastric fluid (pH of 1.8) was observed; while a rapid, size dependent release was found in the simulated intestinal solution (pH of 7.5). The release from smaller beads (e.g. 600 μm) was 1.5 times faster than that of larger beads (e.g. 2000 μm). In addition, the GLS release from freeze dried beads was almost 3 times faster than those of air and vacuum dried beads in the first 90 min. The present results illustrate the potential to protect GLS by encapsulation using electrospraying to achieve the controlled release of GLS ingredients. This will pave the way to develop effective GLS products with desirable bioactive components for healthcare applications.