Abstract
Folate is a B-vitamin required for DNA synthesis, methylation, and cellular division, whose deficiencies are associated with various disorders and diseases. Currently, most folic acid used for fortification is synthesized chemically, causing undesirable side effects. However, using folate-producing probiotics is a viable option, which fortify folate in situ and regulate intestinal microbiota. In this study, the folate production potential of newly isolated strains from raw milk was analyzed by microbiological assay. Latilactobacillus sakei LZ217 showed the highest folate production in Folic Acid Assay Broth, 239.70 ± 0.03 ng/μL. The folate produced by LZ217 was identified as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. LZ217 was tolerant to environmental stresses (temperature, pH, NaCl, and ethanol), and was resistant to gastrointestinal juices. Additionally, the in vitro effects of LZ217 on human gut microbiota were investigated by fecal slurry cultures. 16S rDNA gene sequencing indicated that fermented samples containing LZ217 significantly increased the abundance of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus 2, Butyricicoccus compared to not containing. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) analysis revealed that LZ217 also increased the production of butyric acid by fermentation. Together, L. sakei LZ217 could be considered as a probiotic candidate to fortify folate and regulate intestinal microecology.
Highlights
Folic acid is one of the water-soluble B vitamins, which is an essential nutrient for humans
The sequence analysis showed 69o8f%15 similarity to Latilactobacillus sakei, phylogenetic analysis indicated that LZ217 was closely related to the strain L. sakei NBRC 107130 (Figure S1)
We proved the addition of L. sakei LZ217 promoted the growth of phylum Firmicutes and genus Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus 2, and Butyricicoccus compared with the VIS group
Summary
Folic acid (namely vitamin B9) is one of the water-soluble B vitamins, which is an essential nutrient for humans. The folate is a cofactor in several major metabolic pathways, including the conversion of amino acid and nucleotide synthesis in healthy and proliferating cells [1,2,3]. The majority of folic acid used for fortification is synthesized chemically, which can cause undesirable side effects such as masking vitamin B12 deficiency [8]. Active folate, namely 5-MTHF, is stable folate, which can enter the circulation directly without metabolism and be absorbed and utilized by the human body. Patients with folate metabolic disorder can either obtain folate through it being absorbed or consumed, and there is no upper limit of active folate, which can be absorbed and utilized by the body, and it will not mask the deficiency of vitamin B12 [9]. In situ fortification using folate-producing microbes is a viable option
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