Biotherapeutic potentials of diverse probiotics of the Himalayan region: A Review

Indonesia as an archipelagic country is rich in ethnicity and culture. This condition causes Indonesia to have a lot of uniqueness, one of which is traditional food. Traditional foods are varied from traditional non-fermented foods to traditional fermented foods. Based on the essential ingredients, traditional fermented foods from Indonesia can be grouped into 2 types, plant-based, and animal-based fermented foods. Information about plant-based fermented foods has been widely discussed, one of which is tempeh. However, a comprehensive discussion of traditional animal-based fermented food products, especially meat and fish, is rarely found. Therefore, the discussion on this topic can be a new thing to provide information to the public about Indonesia's treasures from a culinary perspective. This review discusses several traditional fermented foods from Indonesia, such as shrimp paste (terasi), urutan, budik, bekasam, naniura, buntilan/bontot, and ikan peda. In most cases, these foods utilize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for their manufacture. This article is expected to be able to complete information about traditional fermented food products from Indonesia, as well as to promote the treasures of culinary origins from Indonesia to the societies.

BackgroundProbiotics are live microorganisms that effectively combat foodborne pathogens, promoting intestinal health when consumed in sufficient amounts. This study evaluated the probiotic potential and safety of lactic acid bacteria isolated from selected Ethiopian traditional fermented foods and beverages (Kotcho, Bulla, Ergo, Cabbage-Shamita, Borde, and Bukuri). To assess the isolates’ probiotic activity, tolerance, and survival rate under various stressful conditions, including low pH, intestinal inhibitory substances, salt concentration, bile salt, and simulated gastric/intestinal juice. The isolates were also tested for antagonistic activities against common bacterial and fungal pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans) and safety (auto-aggregation, co-aggregation, cell source hydrophobicity, hemolytic activity, DNase, and antibiotic susceptibility). The best probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were characterized to species level following standard MALDI TOF/mass spectrometry analysis.ResultsA total of 125 potentially probiotic LAB were isolated of which 17 (13.60%) isolates survived low pH (2, 2.5, and 3), bile salt (0.3%), intestinal inhibitory chemicals (phenol, bile, low acidity, pepsin, and pancreas), and simulated gastro-intestinal settings with near 60–94% survival rate. In addition, 11 best LAB isolates were further screened based on additional screening including their antimicrobial efficacy, preservative efficiency, bacteriocin production besides resistance to low acid and bile salts, and survival potential under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. All 11 LAB isolates were resistant to ampicillin, vancomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, clindamycin, and chloramphenicol, while they were susceptible to streptomycin and tetracycline. The MALDI TOF mass spectrometry analysis result of efficient probiotic LAB grouped them under the genus Pediococcus, Enterococcus, and Lactococcus including Pediococcus pentosaceus, Enterococcus faecium, Lactococcus lactis, and Pediococcus acidilactici.ConclusionEthiopian traditional fermented foods and beverages are good sources of promising probiotic lactic acid bacteria. These isolates could serve as potential starter cultures and bio-preservative for the enhancement of the shelf life of foods. This study established the groundwork for the selection of excellent probiotics for the development and application of LAB for antibacterial action, starter culture production, and preservation activities.

Discussion on the origin of kimchi, representative of Korean unique fermented vegetables

Fermented foods are important parts of traditional food culture with a long history worldwide. Abundant nutritional materials and open fermentation contribute to the diversity of microorganisms, resulting in unique product quality and flavor. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), as important part of traditional fermented foods, play a decisive role in the quality and safety of fermented foods. Reproduction and metabolic of microorganisms drive the food fermentation, and microbial interaction plays a major role in the fermentation process. Nowadays, LAB have attracted considerable interest due to their potentialities to add functional properties to certain foods or as supplements along with the research of gut microbiome. This review focuses on the characteristics of diversity and variability of LAB in traditional fermented foods, and describes the principal mechanisms involved in the flavor formation dominated by LAB. Moreover, microbial interactions and their mechanisms in fermented foods are presented. They provide a theoretical basis for exploiting LAB in fermented foods and improving the quality of traditional fermented foods. The traditional fermented food industry should face the challenge of equipment automation, green manufacturing, and quality control and safety in the production.

Traditional fermented food products are often connected to various indigenous tribes and thus vary due to ethnicity, geography, and natural resource availability. The indigenous tribes from India greatly rely on fermentation processes for food preservation, flavor, and nutrition. Fermented foods can provide health benefits but also pose risks from harmful microbes and contaminants that grow in the food due to poor hygiene. In this study, we identified lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented food collected from Northeast India, assessed their beneficial properties, and highlighted the risk from food pathogens that have antimicrobial resistance traits. A total of 113 different samples of fermented food products were collected from the local markets of five Northeastern Indian states (Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim). Standard laboratory methods were used to isolate LAB and determine their probiotic properties, conduct coliform counts, and isolate presumptive staphylococci from the fermented food samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by using the BD-Phoenix 100 automated system. We isolated 30 LAB with probiotic potential. The average aerobic colony count in different fermented food was 4.4–7.7 log·cfu/g, while coliforms were present in 43% (49/113, 95% (CI 34–53)) of the food samples, indicating low-hygiene levels. Additionally, some food samples contained staphylococci with phenotypic antibiotic-resistance markers (MRS, HLMUP, BLACT, and STAMLS). This study indicates that probiotic bacteria could be present in traditional fermented food products of Northeast India, but contamination with staphylococci and other bacterial pathogens with antibiotic resistance traits could put the health of consumers at risk.

Indian traditional fermented foods have been part of the society, intertwined with health and religion, since ancient times. Indian traditional foods are highly diverse in terms of sheer number and also within the same product, showing many local and regional variations. Along with the diversity of the foods, the diversity of fermentation flora has also increased. In addition, the Indian population is unique as the traditional foods still constitute the major part of the daily diet. This chapter outlines Indian fermented foods, historical background, the microflora responsible for fermentation, flavour and aroma, advanced biotechnological innovations towards traditional fermented food, such as the use of starter culture/adjunct microbial cultures, packing technologies, functional properties, health benefits and commercialization of traditional fermented food products. Researchers, entrepreneurs and consumers at a global level will benefit from the diversity of traditional Indian fermented foods and their functional aspects.

The eastern part of Hainan, China, has a flat terrain and a suitable climate with abundant sunshine and rain. This unique environment makes the tropical microbial resources of natural fermented food unique and rich. Therefore, we combined Shotgun metagenomic sequencing, 16S rRNA sequencing and pure culture technology to analyze the microbial diversity, microbiota composition, species differences and correlation of 30 traditional fermented food samples collected from Wenchang, Qionghai, Wanning and Lingshui in the eastern part of Hainan province, and isolated, identified and preserved the microorganisms in them. The results showed that the microbial community structure differs significantly between samples from different regions and between different substrates. The alpha diversity of microorganisms in traditional fermented foods in the Wanning area was higher than those of the other three areas. The beta diversity indicated that the microbiota structural difference between Wanning and Qionghai was smaller. This is consistent with the fact that the precipitation in the Wanning area is the highest and similar to that of Qionghai. The alpha diversity of microorganisms was the highest in fermented vegetables, followed by fermented grains, and the lowest in fermented seafood. Beta diversity showed that the microbiota composition of fermented grains and fermented vegetables is very similar, but that of fermented seafood is significantly different. The results of microbiota structural analysis showed that firmicutes and proteobacteria are the dominant bacterial phyla, and Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus fermentum are the dominant species in traditional fermented foods in eastern Hainan. Lactic acid bacteria are the dominant species in traditional fermented foods from the eastern Hainan region of China, regardless of the substrate used in fermentation. According to the microbial functional characteristics, the microbial metabolism and biosynthesis pathways in traditional fermented foods in Hainan tend to be active. In addition, combined with pure culture technology, we isolated, identified and preserved 342 lactic acid bacteria strains from traditional fermented food in eastern Hainan province. This study helped us understand the different characteristics of microbial communities in tropical southern China and supplement the Lactobacillus species resource pool in tropical southern China. Moreover, it provided new insights and directions for the development and utilization of fermented foods.

Nutrition, health and microbial ecology of traditional fermented foods in Zambia

Fermented foods and beverages, whether of plant or animal origin, play an important role in the diet of people in many parts of the world. Fermented foods not only provide important sources of nutrients but have also great potential in maintaining health and preventing diseases. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts are the major group of microorganisms associated with traditional fermented foods. Many different types of traditional fermented foods and beverages are produced at household level in Anatolia. These include fermented milks (yoghurt, torba yoghurt, kurut, ayran, kefir, koumiss), cereal-based fermented food (tarhana), and non-alcoholic beverage (boza), fermented fruits, and vegetables (turşu, şalgam, hardaliye), and fermented meat (sucuk). However, there are some differences in the preparation of traditional foods and beverages from region to region. The focus of this article is to describe the traditional fermented foods and beverages of Turkey.

The analysis of collections of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from traditional fermented plant foods in tropical countries may enable the detection of LAB with interesting properties. Binding capacity is often the main criterion used to investigate the probiotic characteristics of bacteria. In this study, we focused on a collection of 163 Lactobacillaceace comprising 156 bacteria isolated from traditional amylaceous fermented foods and seven strains taken from a collection and used as controls. The collection had a series of analyses to assess binding potential for the selection of new probiotic candidates. The presence/absence of 14 genes involved in binding to the gastrointestinal tract was assessed. This enabled the detection of all the housekeeping genes (ef-Tu, eno, gap, groEl and srtA) in the entire collection, of some of the other genes (apf, cnb, fpbA, mapA, mub) in 86% to 100% of LAB, and of the other genes (cbsA, gtf, msa, slpA) in 0% to 8% of LAB. Most of the bacteria isolated from traditional fermented foods exhibited a genetic profile favorable for their binding to the gastrointestinal tract. We selected 30 strains with different genetic profiles to test their binding ability to non-mucus (HT29) and mucus secreting (HT29-MTX) cell lines as well as their ability to degrade mucus. Assays on both lines revealed high variability in binding properties among the LAB, depending on the cell model used. Finally, we investigated if their binding ability was linked to tighter cross-talk between bacteria and eukaryotic cells by measuring the expression of bacterial genes and of the eukaryotic MUC2 gene. Results showed that wild LAB from tropical amylaceous fermented food had a much higher binding capacity than the two LAB currently known to be probiotics. However their adhesion was not linked to any particular genetic equipment.

Fermentation technology is an important field comprising the use of microorganisms and enzymes to produce the compounds that have applications in the food, pharmaceutical, energy, and chemical industries. Although food fermentation processes have been used for generations as a prerequisite for sustainable food production, today it has become more demanding to obtain functional and therapeutic food products through the application of continuous creations and advancement of innovative fermentation processes. For these reasons, efforts are directed toward designing new processes, concepts, and technologies. Fermentation is a natural process whereby microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast convert carbohydrates such as starch and sugar into alcohol or acids, both of these act as a natural preservatives. This process is still used today to produce foods such as wine, cheese, sauerkraut, yogurt, and other types of traditional foods. Traditional fermented foods are popularly consumed and form an integral part of our diet since early history. They are recognized as having multiple benefits related to nutritive values, therapeutic properties, and sensory attributes. In most fermented foods, the fermentation process is predominantly initiated by lactic acid bacteria. These organisms have been termed as probiotic bacteria—a group that appears to have specific health-promoting attributes.

The popularity of traditional fermented food products is based on their healthiness. The addition of a starter brings consistent, desirable, and predictable food changes with improved nutritive, functional, and sensory qualities. The addition of a mixture of plant residues as a starter or source of microbes is an age-old practice to prepare traditional fermented food and beverages, and most of the reported data on traditional foods were based on the analysis of the final product. The contribution of an individual starter component (plant residue) is not experimentally substantiated for any traditional fermented food, but this data are very essential for the formulation of an effective starter. In this study, Asparagus racemosus, which used as a common ingredient of starter for preparation of rice fermented food in the Indian sub-continent, was used as a starter for the preparation of rice fermented food under laboratory scale, and its microbial and nutrient profile was evaluated. The fermented product was a good source of lactic acid bacteria, Bifidobacterium sp., yeast, etc. The food product was acidic and enriched with lactic acid and acetic acid with titratable acidity of 0.65%. The content of protein, fat, minerals, and vitamins (water-soluble) was considerably improved. Most notably, oligosaccharide (G3-matotriose), unsaturated fatty acids (ω3, ω6, ω7, and ω9), and a pool of essential and non-essential amino acids were enriched in the newly formulated food. Thus, the herbal starter-based rice fermented food would provide important macro- and micronutrients. They could also deliver large numbers of active microorganisms for the sustainability of health. Therefore, the selected plant part conferred its suitability as an effective starter for the preparation of healthier rice-based food products.Graphic abstract

Traditional or local fermented foods have been the favourite sources for Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used for starter cultures. Traditional food such as fermented cassava ‘tapai ubi’, fermented glutinous rice ‘tapai pulut’ and fermented shrimp paste ‘belacan’ have been local heritage consumed as Malay delicacies. In this work, 33 LAB samples were isolated from tapai ubi, tapai pulut and belacan and out of these only 5 LAB isolates (PG, PH, BG, UG and UL) showed inhibitory properties against selected indicator organisms (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus). Morphologically, isolate PG, PH, BG are cocci, UL is rod and UG is coccobacillus. Biochemically, isolates (PG, PH, BG UL and UG) are found to be Gram positive, non motile, lactose fermenter and catalase negative. The 16s Ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was carried out and each was identified with an accession number (PB: MT645488, PH: MT645489; BG: MT645490 UG: MT645491 and UL MT645492). Isolates PG and PH from tapai pulut belonged to Pediococcus pentosaceus (at 99% and 98%, respectively). Meanwhile, isolate from Belacan BG belonged to Enterococcus faecium (99%), and those from fermented shrimp, UG and UL belonged to Weissella confusa (99%), and Lactobacillus fermentum (98%), respectively. Majority of the isolates demonstrated broad spectrum inhibition against both Gram positive and negative indicator strains. Compared to the rest of isolates, PH exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis. These results suggested that isolate PH are the most potent isolates which is producing antimicrobial agent with potential as food preservatives.

Fermented products represent ecological niches for developing microorganisms of interest as bio-resources for improving human well-being. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are frequently associated with food fermentations and represent relevant biotechnological resources for enhancing the overall quality of foods and beverages. Among the other potential applications, LAB isolated from traditional fermented foods can play a significant role in addressing malnutrition in developing countries, positively modulating the finished products’ nutritional quality. Nigeria represents an excellent model region to explore this topic as (i) it is a country where the magnitude of phenomena associated with malnutrition is high; (ii) there is a significant effort linked to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN); and (iii) there is an interesting diversity of traditional fermented foods and beverages. In nations such as Nigeria, fermented foods are integral to infant and young child nutrition, often serving as complementary foods. This review proposes a detailed overview of traditional Nigerian fermented products, including ogi, gari, fufu, lafun, kunu-zaki, masa, wara, kobele, abacha, pito, and burukutu. An overview of the microbial diversity associated with these matrices is also provided, considering a specific focus on LAB responsible for the spontaneous fermentation of various Nigerian foods. We underlined the potential of different LAB species/stains to produce vitamins naturally, particularly B-group vitamins, suggesting strategies that can be followed for in situ biofortification, enhancing the nutritional value of fermented products. In general, the review, summarizing data on microbial diversity presented in principal traditional fermented foods and beverages in Nigeria, supports future studies to exploit the potential of LAB species/strains from fermented foods to combat micronutrient deficiencies in developing countries, such as Nigeria, with the objective to mitigate hidden hunger and alleviate malnutrition in vulnerable populations.

Molecular identification and quantification of lactic acid bacteria in traditional fermented dairy foods of Russia