Fig. 4

Time-dependent relative polyphenol concentration in simulated gastric fluid without enzyme (SGDig, pH 1.2) (closed symbols) and fed-state simulated intestinal fluid with pancreatin (FSIDig, pH 6.8) at 37 ± 1 °C (open symbols) after incubation of the free ethanolic microbial extract (circles), the mixed non-gelled whey protein–microbial ethanolic extract solution (matrix solution) (cubes) and the corresponding microbial ethanolic extract-loaded microcapsules (triangles). The maximum TPC was noted from the initial 0.7% polyphenols concentration (set as reference) in release media of all samples which was around 6000 GAE)/kg of dry extract. This TPC value was set as maximum measured TPC at incubation t = 0 and all the latterly measured polyphenolic concentration (from incubation t = 0 to t = 120 min) were described as relative polyphenolic concentration to this maximum limit. The incubation in SGDig and FSIDig was carried out independently, not consecutively. Data are given as 3n ± confidence interval at 95%