Catechin-rich Tea Extracts Improve the Lactobacillus casei Growth During Lactic

Abstract

Tea is rich in polyphenols and phenolics compounds that have been widely reported to have beneficial health effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of catechins, major phenols in tea, to act as growth factors for Lactobacillus casei during lactic acid fermentation. Major catechins presented in tea extracts are gallocatechin, catechin, epigalocatechin, galocatechingalat, epicatechingalat, catechingalat. Different concentrations of green tea and black tea extracts have been added to MRS model media. Growth and viability of Lactobacillus casei was positively affected by the addition of green tea and black tea extracts. This indicates that green tea and black tea addition exert protective effect on Lactobacillus casei growth in MRS media, increasing the viability and biomass production, probably by acting as metabolic enhancer. This results indicated the posibility of using green tea and black tea as metabolic enhancers for the growth of Lactobacillus casei.Â