Abstract
Recent guidelines indicate that oral probiotics, living microorganisms able to confer a health benefit on the host, should be safe for human consumption, when administered in a sufficient amount, and resist acid and bile to exert their beneficial effects (e.g., metabolic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, competitive). This study evaluated quantitative and qualitative aspects and the viability in simulated gastric and intestinal juices of commercial probiotic formulations available in Italy. Plate counting and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry were used to enumerate and identify the contained organisms. In vitro studies with two artificial gastric juices and pancreatin–bile salt solution were performed to gain information on the gastric tolerance and bile resistance of the probiotic formulations. Most preparations satisfied the requirements for probiotics and no contaminants were found. Acid resistance and viability in bile were extremely variable depending on the composition of the formulations in terms of contained species and strains. In conclusion, this study indicates good microbiological quality but striking differences in the behavior in the presence of acids and bile for probiotic formulations marketed in Italy.
Highlights
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits to the host [1]
The amount of spores contained in Enterogermina, Lactoflorene Plus, and Prolife was concordant with the labeled amount of B. clausii spores and B. coagulans (2 × 109, 2 × 107, ≥109, respectively)
The number of viable cells contained in a probiotic formulation is one of the qualifications that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) document [33] have recommended
Summary
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits to the host [1]. The most commonly used oral probiotic formulations contain lactobacilli and bifidobacteria and, less frequently, streptococci, enterococci, Bacillus species, or yeast. Beneficial effects of probiotics include competitive exclusion of pathogens, normalization of perturbed microbiota, enhancement of intestinal barrier function, and differentiation and stimulation of systemic or mucosal immune responses [2, 3]. Immunoregulatory probiotics, which are characterized by the ability to induce predominant IL-10 production, can promote the development of Treg cells and control inflammatory responses, resulting in a decrease in allergy, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and autoimmune diseases [4]. Some of the abovementioned effects might be widespread among common probiotic genera, others are species- or strain-specific [1].
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