Abstract
One of the main lactic acid bacterial species found in the kefir grain ecosystem worldwide is Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, exhibiting strong auto-aggregation capacity and, therefore, being involved in the mechanism of grain formation. Its occurrence and dominance in kefir grains of various types of milk and geographical origins have been verified by culture-dependent and independent approaches using multiple growth media and regions of the 16S rRNA gene, respectively, highlighting the importance of their combination for its taxonomic identification. L. kefiranofaciens comprises two subspecies, namely kefiranofaciens and kefirgranum, but only the first one is responsible for the production of kefiran, the water-soluble polysaccharide, which is a basic component of the kefir grain and famous for its technological as well as health-promoting properties. L. kefiranofaciens, although very demanding concerning its growth conditions, can be involved in mechanisms affecting intestinal health, immunomodulation, control of blood lipid levels, hypertension, antimicrobial action, and protection against diabetes and tumors. These valuable bio-functional properties place it among the most exquisite candidates for probiotic use as a starter culture in the production of health-beneficial dairy foods, such as the kefir beverage.
Highlights
Kefir is a viscous, slightly carbonated dairy beverage, which has its origins in the Caucasian, Tibetan and Mongolian mountains
When Toba et al [12] reported the isolation of capsule-forming homofermentative lactobacilli from kefir grains, they detected Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria surrounded by large capsules when stained with India ink and fibrillar material adhering to the rods when examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
The vast majority of the kefir-derived lactobacilli belong to the L. kefiranofaciens species, which are Gram-positive, nonmotile, capsulated, non-spore-forming rods and includes two subspecies, namely kefiranofaciens and kefirgranum
Summary
Slightly carbonated dairy beverage, which has its origins in the Caucasian, Tibetan and Mongolian mountains. Lactobacillus species are part of the microbiota of humans and animals, are found in a variety of food products and have been studied extensively as fermentation starter and/or adjunct cultures and probiotics. They are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the US. Kefirgranum, with a genome size of 2.10 Mbp and mol% G + C content of DNA 37.5 for the type strain LMG 15132T , is part of the core microbiota of kefir grains [4,8,10] Strains of both subspecies are Gram-positive, non-motile, capsulated, non-spore-forming rods (generally 0.8 to 1.2 μm by 3.0 to 20.0 μm) that occur as single cells, in pairs, or occasionally in short chains [3]. This review discusses the taxonomic history of L. kefiranofaciens, complex issues related to its isolation and growth conditions, biochemical and physiological characteristics, ecological niches, and current research and novel applications relevant to human health
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