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1. A dehydrated composition comprising a delayed-release particle encapsulating one or more microorganisms, wherein the particle is composed of an inner core comprising the one or more microorganisms and one or more nutrients comprising at least one of a carbon source, a nitrogen source, and a phosphorous source, surrounded by an outer shell layer having a permeability of 0.5 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), thereby being selectively permeable to a rehydrating fluid while retaining the one or more microorganisms encapsulated within the particle, wherein the outer shell layer is configured to degrade upon fluid absorption, thereby releasing a plurality of encapsulated microorganisms to the surrounding environment in a delayed-release manner, wherein the encapsulated microorganisms are present in the dehydrated composition at an initial concentration of less than 1×103 colony forming units (CFU) per particle, and wherein following fluid absorption, the concentration of the encapsulated microorganisms is increased by at least 10-fold before the outer shell is degraded and the microorganisms are released to the surrounding environment.
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