This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1111/IJFS.14823 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved PROF. ELANE SCHWINDEN PRUDENCIO (Orcid ID : 0000-0001-6060-3864) Article type : Original Manuscript Lactose-free skim milk and prebiotics as carrier agents of Bifidobacterium BB-12 microencapsulation: physicochemical properties, survival during storage and in vitro gastrointestinal conditions behavior Running title: Functional lactose-free spray-dried powders Adriana Dantas 1 , Silvani Verruck 2 , Gabriela Rodrigues de Liz 2 , Eduard Hernandez 3 , & Elane Schwinden Prudencio 1,2* 1 Postgraduate Program in Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Technology Center, Trindade, 88040-970 Florianópolis, SC, Brazil 2 Department of Food Science and Technology, Agricultural Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. 3 Department of Agri-Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech, 8. 08860, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain Accepted Article The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1111/ijfs.14823