Delivery of lactase using chocolate-coated agarose carriers

Dried carriers based on agarose and starch as filler entrapping the enzyme lactase were studied. After freeze-drying, all carriers had a spherical shape, resembling the properties of porous cellular solids. The inclusion of starch resulted in a rough surface of the dried carriers. The dried carriers were coated with chocolate to facilitate enzyme protection and their possible inclusion within functional food products. Lactase release from non-coated and chocolate-coated carriers revealed that the conditions in buffer and stomach-simulating solution led to a first mode of release due to lactase molecules located on the external or inner surfaces of the carrier but not within the matrix itself. In addition, chocolate coating led to a second mode of lactase release greater than the initial release. Thus, chocolate coated agarose-lactase-containing carriers may be considered for utilization in functional foods for lactose intolerant people.