Abstract
Probiotics are recommended, among others, in the diet of children who are under antibiotic therapy, or that suffer from food allergies or travel diarrhea, etc. In the case of toddlers taking probiotic preparations, it is highly recommended to first remove the special capsule, which normally protects probiotic strains against hard conditions in the gastrointestinal tract. Otherwise, the toddler may choke. This removal can impair probiotic survival and reduce its efficacy in a toddler’s organism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survivability of five strains of lactic acid bacteria from the commercial probiotics available on the Polish market under simulated conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Five probiotics (each including one of these strains: Bifidobacterium BB-12, Lactobacillus (Lb.) rhamnosus GG, Lb. casei, Lb. acidophilus, Lb. plantarum) were protective capsule deprived, added in a food matrix (chicken–vegetable soup) and subjected under simulated conditions of the gastric and gastrointestinal passage. Strain survivability and possibility to growth were evaluated. Obtained results showed that, among all analyzed commercial probiotic strains, the Lb. plantarum was the most resistant to the applied conditions of the culture medium. They showed a noticeable growth under both in vitro gastric conditions at pH 4.0 and 5.0, as well as in vitro intestinal conditions at all tested concentrations of bile salts.
Highlights
Published: 27 January 2021The definition of “probiotic” provided by the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics states that probiotics are “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” [1]
Curves of changes in optical density (OD, λ = 600 nm) during culture of commercial preparations of probiotic bacteria in MRS broth with various pH values are shown on GG ATCC 53103; (b) Bifidobacterium BB-12; (c) Lb. casei; (d) Lb. acidophilus; (e) Lb. plantarum in MRS medium with different pH (2.0; 3.0; 4.0; 5.0; 6.2), (p < 0.05)
Results of our study show that among all analyzed probiotic bacteria from commercial preparations avaliable on Polish market, the Lb. plantarum was the most resistant to the applied conditions of the experiment
Summary
Published: 27 January 2021The definition of “probiotic” provided by the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics states that probiotics are “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” [1]. The role of probiotics is to, i.a., alleviate symptoms of lactose intolerance, ameliorate outcomes of food allergies, and reduce cholesterol concentration in blood [5,6,7]. The administration of probiotic preparations is recommended, e.g., during and after antibiotic therapy to aid the reconstruction of natural enteric microflora [8,9,10]. Children suffer from post-antibiotic diarrhea despite their diet supplementation with probiotic strains [15]. This is, probably, caused by reduced survivability of individual probiotic strains under varying conditions of the alimentary tract. Oral administration of at least 107 cells of a probiotic strain per milliliter or gram of food should ensure a positive
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