Abstract
Probiotics are living microorganisms used as nutritional additives that confer health benefits on the host. Their use in food products is very attractive, especially if they could also inhibit important foodborne pathogens. In this study, antimicrobial activity against several foodborne pathogens was screened for 280 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from different food products and the probiotic characteristics of bacteriocinogenic isolates were evaluated. Seven out of 280 LAB isolates were selected due to their bacteriocinogenic properties and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as Pediococcus pentosaceus (n = 6) and Lactobacillus plantarum (n = 1). Virulence factors and antibiotic resistances were not detected for any of the isolates. Except for L. plantarum R23, all the isolates were able to survive through the simulated gastrointestinal tract conditions. Only P. pentosaceus CFF4 was able to adhere to Caco-2 cells after the simulated gastrointestinal tract passage. In conclusion, even though in vivo studies should be performed, P. pentosaceus CFF4, which was also able to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens in vitro, seems to be a potential probiotic to be used in the food industry.
Highlights
Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms that, when administered in sufficient amounts, confer health benefits on the host”, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization [1].Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are considered the major group of probiotic bacteria, with Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Propionibacterium and Leuconostoc being the most common genera used [2,3]
The levels associated with significant outcomes in clinical trials and found in probiotic products are in the range of 1–10 billion Colony Forming Units (CFU)/dose, which is within the recommended effective dose: more than 100 million CFU/dose [10,11]
From 280 LAB isolates, 85 inhibited some target microorganisms by cell to cell competition, 31 inhibited by low pH and only seven inhibited by the presence of proteinaceous compounds—CFF4, CFF5, CFF51 and CFF202, all isolated from fermented fish [31]; R23, isolated from arugula; and Q42 and Q43, isolated from cheese
Summary
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are considered the major group of probiotic bacteria, with Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Propionibacterium and Leuconostoc being the most common genera used [2,3]. Their ingestion as probiotics has been acknowledged to confer a range of health benefits, including the normalization of disturbed gut microbiota, prevention or alleviation of several intestinal disorders, prevention of heart diseases by lowering blood cholesterol levels, immune system stimulation, prevention of infectious diseases, among others [4,5]. For commercial purposes, and depending on the product, potential probiotics that are species- or strain-dependent should meet a number of requirements, including (i) safety: isolation from suitable habitats, screening and selection of probiotics in terms of phenotype and genotype pathogenicity, correct identification and antimicrobial susceptibility; (ii) functional: probiotics should be tolerant to the GI environment and possess intestinal epithelial adhesion properties; (iii) beneficial: lactic acid production and antagonism against pathogens; (iv) technology: tests for genetically stable strains are required for large-scale production and (v) physiological: immunomodulation, cholesterol metabolism, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties are required assays [1]
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