Abstract
A randomized case control prospective method was adopted in this study in order to assess the health benefit associated with the Darfiyeh cheese, a traditional Lebanese raw goat milk cheese ripened in goat skin. 21 participants were recruited and divided into 2 groups: test group (n = 10) and control group (n = 11). Venous blood and stools were collected at day 14, 21 and day 0 and 21 respectively. Flow cytometry was performed on blood sample. Fecal samples were plated on Plate Count Agar (PCA) and de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe Agar (MRS) agar in order to monitor any alteration in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). At day 24, a significant increase by 27.67% (p = 0.043) in the bacterial count was seen on the MRS agar for the test group in comparison to no change in the total bacterial count. At day 14 a significant drop (p = 0.026) in CD3+/CD4+ population in the test group (35.67 vs 42.87), and a non-significant drop (p = 0.818) in CD8+ (24.76 vs 28.28) is seen when compared to control group. At day 24, no significant change (p = 0.20) in the CD3+/CD4+ population in comparison between both groups and no change in CD8+ or Geo means in both groups. In conclusion, an alteration in the GIT microflora could be hinted at by the lactobacilli bacterium, which was not reflected on the total bacterial count.
Highlights
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) working group described that probiotics must have live microorganisms and that they should confer a measured physiological health benefit, as well as possessing well-being effects in the human host [1]
The results suggest that the ratio of the two bacterial strains present in the cheese could modulate an alteration in microflora of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT)
Our study was able to investigate an up and down regulation of Th cells which could be related to the probiotic effect of the two bacterial strains
Summary
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) working group described that probiotics must have live microorganisms and that they should confer a measured physiological health benefit, as well as possessing well-being effects in the human host [1]. Probiotics are widely used as food additives because they have the ability of fermentation, which can affect the taste of food [2]-[4]. Many probiotic strains such as Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are used in studies as vaccine vehicles, as microbial interference treatments or as adjuvant for antibiotics [1]. LAB are physiologically present in the human digestive tract [5]. They have evolved symbiotically with the digestive tract [1] [6]. These bacterial strains are able to ferment nutriments into lactic acid or other byproducts [1] [5] [6]. LAB have the ability to lower the pH in the GIT and female genital tract, which is a healthy and beneficial phenomenon since low pH implement an antibacterial effect [7] [8]
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