Abstract
In this study, novel fermented chickpea milk with high γ -aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and potential neuroprotective activity was developed. Fermentation starter that can produce GABA was selected from 377 strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Chinese fermented foods. Among the screened strains, strain M-6 showed the highest GABA-producing capacity in De Man–Rogosa and Sharp (MRS) broth and chickpea milk. M-6 was identified as Lactobacillus plantarum based on Gram staining, API carbohydrate fermentation pattern testing, and 16s rDNA sequencing. The complete gene encoding glutamate decarboxylase was cloned to confirm the presence of the gene in L. plantarum M-6. The fermentation condition was optimized by response surface methodology. Results demonstrated that L. plantarum M-6 produced the highest GABA content of 537.23 mg/L. The optimal condition included an inoculum concentration of 7%, presence of 0.2% (m/v) monosodium glutamate and 55 µ M pyridoxal-5-phosphate, incubation temperature of 39 °C and fermentation time of 48 h . GABA-enriched chickpea milk exerted protective effects on PC12 cells against MnCl2 -induced injury. GABA-enriched chickpea milk improved cell viability and markedly attenuated the release of lactate dehydrogenase compared with the impaired cells.
Highlights
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that is naturally present in microorganisms, plants, and animals
Strain M-6 produced the highest GABA content; ca. 545.33 and 282.12 mg/L GABA were detected after 48 h of fermentation with Man–Rogosa and Sharp (MRS) and chickpea milk, respectively
GABA detected by paper chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses were characterized through Liquid chromatography–mass spectrophotometry (LC–MS)
Summary
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that is naturally present in microorganisms, plants, and animals. GABA acts as the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (Li & Cao, 2010) This amino acid exhibits several physiological functions, such as inducing insulin secretion (Adeghate & Ponery, 2002), regulating the rate of protein synthesis in the brain (Tujioka et al, 2009), and reducing blood pressure (Inoue et al, 2003). GABA can improve the function of visual cortex cells and can be used to alleviate decline in sensory, motor, and cognitive skills, which occur with aging (Leventhal et al, 2003). In this regard, researchers have focused on developing functional foods containing GABA.
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