Biofilm-based probiotic delivery system and its application in the food industry

Probiotics are widely used in food production and disease treatment due to their outstanding fermentation performance and probiotic properties. However, a major challenge is maintaining the survival and stability of probiotic cells. Biofilm is a form of natural formation by microorganisms that can resist extreme external environments. Currently, biofilm-based probiotic delivery methods have become a highly promising new mode of probiotic delivery, demonstrating significantly greater tolerance and potential for biological therapy. Probiotic biofilms can also form on food grade surfaces, which are ideal for the growth and multiplication of bacterial cells and can be incorporated into food matrices. Moreover, biofilms can be further encapsulated using food grade materials or bacterial produced biofilms. This review introduces a biofilm-based safe delivery technology for probiotics and discusses the advantages of biofilm-based delivery of probiotics, providing important guidance for the development of probiotics in the food and related biomedical fields.