Abstract
<p>A fermentation study of three probiotic <em>Lactobacillus</em> strains was conducted on individual carbohydrates including glucose (GLU) high methoxy pectin (HMP), sugar beet pectin (SBP), fructooligosaccharide (FOS), galactooligosaccharide (GOS), and inulin agave (IA) as the sole carbon sources. It was observed that <em>Lactobacillus bulgaricus </em>(LB), <em>Lactobacillus casei</em> (LC) and <em>Lactobacillus delbruckii</em> (LD) achieved the highest growth rates when they were grown in the presence of GLU, FOS, and IA, but LB had a slower growth rate in these substrates compared to LC and LD. Only LC had a statistically significantly higher growth rate in GOS than in the basal medium which contained no carbohydrate source. Exposure to bile caused a significant reduction of log colony forming units/ml of all 3 strains, with LD grown in HMP exhibiting the highest survival followed by LC and LD grown in GLU, and LD grown on IA. Although HMP was not fermented by the test organisms, results indicate that HMP may in fact help certain probiotic bacteria to survive exposure to bile. Exposure to simulated gastric juices indicated that the studied <em>Lactobacilli</em> are tolerant to simulated gastric juice.</p>
Highlights
1.1 Role of Probiotics in Human HealthThe human gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains a variety of microflora including both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria (Manning & Gibson, 2004)
It was observed that Lactobacillus bulgaricus (LB), Lactobacillus casei (LC) and Lactobacillus delbruckii (LD) achieved the highest growth rates when they were grown in the presence of GLU, FOS, and inulin agave (IA), but LB had a slower growth rate in these substrates compared to LC and LD
Exposure to bile caused a significant reduction of log colony forming units/ml of all 3 strains, with LD grown in high methoxy pectin (HMP) exhibiting the highest survival followed by LC and LD grown in GLU, and LD grown on IA
Summary
The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract contains a variety of microflora including both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria (Manning & Gibson, 2004). Harmful bacteria in the GI tract may cause health problems in the host such as diarrhea, infections, or liver damage, and these bacteria may produce substances that increase the risk of cancer (Mitsuoka, 1982; Salminen et al, 1998). Beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli can promote host health by inhibiting the growth of these harmful bacteria, stimulating the immune system, and enhancing the digestion and absorption of essential nutrients such as short chain fatty acids (Gibson & Roberfroid, 1995). Probiotics should be able to recover and compete with established microflora in the colon for nutrients and colonization sites (Gibson & Roberfroid, 1995)
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