Merits of probiotic biocatalysis immobilized on wheat bran for the production of functional foods

Abstract

Dietary incorporation of milk fermented with indigenous probiotic Lactobacillus casei NCDC19 (Lc19) was investigated in mice fed a high-fat and sucrose diet (HFS diet). Epididymal fat mass and adipocyte size were significantly reduced in the group fed HFS diet supplemented with Lc19 compared with the group fed HFS diet only. However, body weight differences were not statistically significant. Fasting blood glucose, serum triglyceride, insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance score were found to be significantly decreased in the Lc19 treatment group; liver triglyceride levels remained unaffected. Epididymal fat adiponectin and liver carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, forkhead box protein A2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1β were significantly up-regulated in the Lc19 group. The influence of Lc19 on the expression of genes related to energy expenditure suggests a possible role of L. casei in gut physiology modulation, which might be affecting the host metabolism.