Gamma-aminobutyric Acid Production Research Articles

Biofunctional, structural, and tribological attributes of GABA-enriched probiotic yoghurts containing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei alone or in combination with prebiotics

This study investigated some biofunctional, structural, and tribological attributes of synbiotic yoghurts produced using Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as probiotic, and galactofructose, inulin, soy protein isolate, and spirulina as prebiotics. The highest gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production (99.63 μg mL−1) and glutamic acid consumption (98.39 μg mL−1) was found in spirulina-supplemented probiotic yoghurts (YSP), followed by galactofructose-supplemented probiotic yoghurts (YGF). However, YSP exhibited the lowest probiotic viability and the greatest pH drop. The biological activity of YSP, in terms of total phenolics, antioxidant potential, antihypertensive activity, and degree of hydrolysis was significantly higher than the other yoghurts. YSP showed lower friction coefficient in the high sliding velocities compared with other yoghurt samples. The best appearance and mouthfeel was rated by panellists for YSP, while the taste, texture, and overall acceptance of other yoghurts were preferred. Overall, the synbiotic yoghurts containing spirulina, and galactofructose represent a promising strategy for development of functional dairy products.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid fermentation in MRS-based medium by the fructophilic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Y7.

Among the key metabolites produced by probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB), the use of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which alleviates hypertension, depression, and sleepiness in humans, is gaining popularity. Thus, GABA-producing LAB are sought after. GABA-producing LAB were preliminarily screened in acidified-MRS broth and quantified via GABase assays. The one-factor-at-a-time strategy was applied to determine the optimal conditions for GABA production. GABA production in reconstituted skim milk medium (RSM) and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed to evaluate the potential of the strain as a yogurt starter. L. plantarum Y7 produced 4,856.86 ± 82.47μg/mL of GABA at optimal culture conditions. Co-cultivation of Y7 and commercial Lactobacillus bulgaricus affected the amount of GABA production (6.85 ± 0.20μg/mL) in RSM. Y7 was susceptible to ampicillin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Therefore, L. plantarum Y7 represents a promising strain for GABA production in the food industry.

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) production in Escherichia coli with pyridoxal kinase (pdxY) based regeneration system

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid act as a major neurotransmitter inhibitor in the nervous system of mammals. It also used as a precursor of bioplastics synthesis such as N-methylpyrolidone and polyamide 4. Chemical-based synthesis methods have many environmental-related issues, so efforts have been made to develop biosynthetic methods to produce GABA. Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) transforms L-glutamate to GABA using pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) as a cofactor. Bioconversion of GABA with whole cells overexpressing the glutamate decarboxylase has advantages of fewer byproducts and rapid reaction. However, there is a bottleneck in the whole-cell bioconversion system i.e., higher GABA production require a large amount of cofactor PLP which make the process costly. Therefore, pyridoxal kinase (PdxY) able to regenerate PLP was introduced in the whole-cell system to construct a new GABA producing system. Culture and reaction conditions were optimized, and 100% conversion of 0.6 M MSG was obtained. This study reports that a competitive level of GABA production could be achieved without supplying additional PLPs.

Optimization of Gamma Aminobutyric Acid Production Using High Pressure Processing (HPP) by Lactobacillus brevis PML1.

In the present research, the production potential of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) using Lactobacillus brevis PML1 was investigated. In addition, the microorganism viability was examined in MAN, ROGOSA, and SHARPE (MRS) after undergoing high hydrostatic pressure at 100, 200, and 300 MPa for 5, 10, and 15 min. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the production conditions of GABA as well as the bacteria viability. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that both the independent variables (pressure and time) significantly influenced the dependent ones (GABA and bacteria viability) (P < 0.05). The optimum extraction conditions to maximize the production of GABA included the pressure of 300 MPa and the time of 15 min. The amount of the compound was quantified using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and spectrophotometry. For the process optimization, a central composite design (CCD) was created using Design Expert with 5 replications at the center point, whereby the highest content of GABA was obtained to be 397.73 ppm which was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to observe the morphological changes in the microorganism. The results revealed that not only did have Lactobacillus brevis PML1 the potential for the production of GABA under conventional conditions (control sample) but also the content of this bioactive compound could be elevated by optimizing the production parameters.

Multi-functional Potential of Five Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains Derived from Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).

The multi-functional properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on host health have been a popular research topic. The aim of present study was to assess the multi-functional potential of five LAB strains isolated from giant panda. In this study, we analyzed five giant panda LAB strains (Weissella confuse WJ202003 (W3), WJ202009 (W9), WJ202021 (W21), BSP201703 (X3); Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BSGP201683 (G83)) and found that they exhibited rapid growth as well as strong acid production capacity. The five LAB strains possessed high cell surface hydrophobicity to the four tested solvents (xylene, hexadecane, chloroform, ethyl acetate; except strain W9), auto-aggregation ability, co-aggregation ability with three pathogens (Escherichia coli, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella), adhesion ability to Caco-2 cell line, and strongly biofilm formation ability, suggesting an adhesion property. As investigated for their antioxidative potential, all the strains showed good tolerance to H2O2, high scavenging ability against 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and hydroxyl (OH-), and reduction ability. Furthermore, the five LAB strains could produce multiple probiotic substances, including exopolysaccharide (EPS), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), bile salt hydrolase (BSH), cellulase (only strain G83), and protease (except strain X3), which was the first to report the production of EPS, GABA, BSH, cellulase, and protease in giant panda-derived LAB strain. These results demonstrated that strains W3, W9, W21, X3, and G83 had multi-functional potential and could be utilized as potential probiotics for giant panda.

Potent γ-amino butyric acid producing psychobioticLactococcus lactis LP-68 from non-rhizospheric soil of Syzygium cumini (Black plum).

Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) is a chemical messenger that plays a significant role in muscle relaxation and brain health. Certain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produce significant levels of GABA and thus act as potential psychobiotic cultures. In the present study, LAB were isolated from non-rhizospheric soil sample of Syzygium cumini (Black plum). A total of 57 LAB were isolated on the basis of their morphological and acid producing characteristic on de Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) agar. Only seven isolates were found to produce GABA (0.09-1.13gL-1) in MRS broth and were identified as Lactococcus. However, L. lactis LP-68 produced highest amount of GABA and was selected for further optimization of culture conditions (pH, temperature and MSG) by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimization resulted in approximately four-fold increase in GABA production (4.11gL-1). The results indicate that the L. lactis LP-68 can be used as starter culture for production of GABA-enriched functional foods.

An Overview of Bioprocesses Employing Specifically Selected Microbial Catalysts for γ-Aminobutyric Acid Production.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an important chemical compound in the human brain. GABA acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter by inducing hyperpolarization of cellular membranes. Usually, this pharmaceutically important compound is synthesized using a chemical process, but in this short overview we have only analysed microbial processes, which have been studied for the biosynthesis of this commercially important compound. The content of this article includes the following summarised information: the search for biological processes showed a number of lactic acid bacteria and certain species of fungi, which could be effectively used for the production of GABA. Strains found to possess GABA-producing pathways include Lactobacillus brevis CRL 1942, L. plantarum FNCC 260, Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus Y2, Bifidobacterium strains, Monascus spp., and Rhizopus spp. Each of these strains required specific growth conditions. However, several factors were common among these strains, such as the use of two main supplements in their fermentation medium—monosodium glutamate and pyridoxal phosphate—and maintaining an acidic pH. Optimization studies of GABA production were comprised of altering the media constituents, modifying growth conditions, types of cultivation system, and genetic manipulation. Some strains increased the production of GABA under anaerobic conditions. Genetic manipulation focused on silencing some genes or overexpression of gadB and gadC. The conclusion, based on the review of information available in published research, is that the targeted manipulation of selected microorganisms, as well as the culture conditions for an optimised bioprocess, should be adopted for an increased production of GABA to meet its increasing demand for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production in fermented milk by lactic acid bacteria isolated from spontaneous raw milk fermentation

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) may release bioactive compounds in fermented milk such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that have positive effects on human health. In the present work, from spontaneous raw milk fermentations 14 LAB strains belonging to 6 species were isolated. Their technological and nutritional characterisation led to the selection of two strains of Lactococcus lactis with a high GABA-producing capability in milk, enhanced by the addition of 5 mmol of monosodium glutamate (up to 249.31 mg L−1) and by co-culture with Lacticaseibacillus rhamnonus or Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. Fermented milks obtained by the two mixed starters (Lc. lactis and L. rhamnonus or L. paracasei) were characterised by a final GABA content of 185.81 ± 24.0 and 319.72 ± 27.15 mg L−1, respectively. GABA content increased during the storage, reaching 395.84 ± 12.55 and 377.49 ± 46.62 mg L−1. In conclusion, the selected starters represent a natural tool for the production of fermented milk containing high GABA concentrations.

Adaptive laboratory evolution of Escherichia coli W enhances gamma-aminobutyric acid production using glycerol as the carbon source

The microbial conversion of glycerol into value-added commodity products has emerged as an attractive means to meet the demands of biosustainability. However, glycerol is a non-preferential carbon source for productive fermentation because of its low energy density. We employed evolutionary and metabolic engineering in tandem to construct an Escherichia coli strain with improved GABA production using glycerol as the feedstock carbon. Adaptive evolution of E. coli W under glycerol-limited conditions for 1300 generations harnessed an adapted strain with a metabolic system optimized for glycerol utilization. Mutation profiling, enzyme kinetic assays, and transcriptome analysis of the adapted strain allowed us to decipher the basis of glycerol adaptation at the molecular level. Importantly, increased substrate influx mediated by the mutant glpK and modulation of intracellular cAMP levels were the key drivers of improved fitness in the glycerol-limited condition. Leveraging the enhanced capability of glycerol utilization in the strain, we constructed a GABA-producing E. coli W-derivative with superior GABA production compared to the wild-type. Furthermore, rationally designed inactivation of the non-essential metabolic genes, including ackA, mgsA, and gabT, in the glycerol-adapted strain improved the final GABA titer and specific productivity by 3.9- and 4.3-fold, respectively, compared with the wild-type.

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase B prevents reactive astrogliosis and scar formation in stab wound injury model.

Reactive astrocytes manifest molecular, structural, and functional alterations under various pathological conditions. We have previously demonstrated that the reactive astrocytes of the stab wound injury model (STAB) display aberrant cellular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content and tonic GABA release, whereas the active astrocytes under enriched environment (EE) express high levels of proBDNF. However, the role of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) in reactive astrogliosis and hypertrophy still remains unknown. Here, we investigate the role of MAO-B, a GABA-producing enzyme, in reactive astrogliosis in STAB. We observed that the genetic removal of MAO-B significantly reduced the hypertrophy, scar formation, and GABA production of reactive astrocytes, whereas the MAO-B overexpression under glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter enhanced the levels of GFAP and GABA. Furthermore, we found that one of the by-products of the MAO-B action, H2 O2 , but not GABA, was sufficient and necessary for the hypertrophy of reactive astrocytes. Notably, we identified two potent pharmacological tools to attenuate scar-forming astrogliosis-the recently developed reversible MAO-B inhibitor, KDS2010, and an H2 O2 scavenger, crisdesalazine (AAD-2004). Our results implicate that inhibiting MAO-B activity has dual beneficial effects in preventing astrogliosis and scar-formation under brain injury, and that the MAO-B/H2 O2 pathway can be a useful therapeutic target with a high clinical potential.

Improve gamma-aminobutyric acid production in Corynebacterium glutamicum by optimizing the metabolic flux

Gamma-aminobutyric acid is an important nonprotein amino acid and has been extensively applied in pharmaceuticals, livestock, food additives, and so on. It is important to develop Corynebacterium glutamicum strains that can efficiently produce gamma-aminobutyric acid from glucose. In this study, production of gamma-aminobutyric acid in C. glutamicum CGY700 was improved by construction of CO2 anaplerotic reaction and overexpression of citrate synthase. The co-expression of ppc encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and gltA encoding citrate synthase was constructed and optimized in the chromosome to compensate carbon loss and conquer metabolic bottleneck. The expression of ppc and gltA were controlled by promoters Ptac and PtacM, and the optimal mode of PtacM-ppc-Ptac-gltA was determined. Simultaneously, the genes pknG encoding serine/threonine protein kinase G and ldh encoding l-lactate dehydrogenase were deleted, and glnA2 encoding glutamine synthase was overexpressed in the chromosome. The final strain CGY-PG-304 constructed in this study could produce 41.17 g/L gamma-aminobutyric acid in shake flask cultivation and 58.33 g/L gamma-aminobutyric acid via Fed-Batch fermentation with a yield of 0.30 g/g glucose. CGY-PG-304 was constructed by genome editing; therefore, it is stable and not necessary to add any antibiotics and inducer during fermentation.

Molecular Analysis of Glutamate Decarboxylases in Enterococcus avium.

Enterococcus avium (E. avium) is a common bacterium inhabiting the intestines of humans and other animals. Most strains of this species can produce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) via the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) system, but the presence and genetic organization of their GAD systems are poorly characterized. In this study, our bioinformatics analyses showed that the GAD system in E. avium strains was generally encoded by three gadB genes (gadB1, gadB2, and gadB3), together with an antiporter gene (gadC) and regulator gene (gadR), and these genes are organized in a cluster. This finding contrasts with that for other lactic acid bacteria. E. avium SDMCC050406, a GABA producer isolated from human feces, was employed to investigate the contribution of the three gadB genes to GABA biosynthesis. The results showed that the relative expression level of gadB3 was higher than those of gadB1 and gadB2 in the exponential growth and stationary phases, and this was accompanied by the synchronous transcription of gadC. After heterologous expression of the three gadB genes in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), the Km value of the purified GAD3 was 4.26 ± 0.48 mM, a value lower than those of the purified GAD1 and GAD2. Moreover, gadB3 gene inactivation caused decreased GABA production, accompanied by a reduction in resistance to acid stress. These results indicated that gadB3 plays a crucial role in GABA biosynthesis and this property endowed the strain with acid tolerance. Our findings provided insights into how E. avium strains survive the acidic environments of fermented foods and throughout transit through the stomach and gut while maintaining cell viability.

Cell surface display of Neurospora crassa glutamate decarboxylase on Escherichia coli for extracellular Gamma-aminobutyric acid production from high cell density culture

GABA is produced from the decarboxylation of glutamate by glutamate decarboxylase enzyme (GadB). Various hetrologous GadB enzymes has been indentified and introduced in Escherichia coli to improve the productivity of GABA. In this study, cell surface display strategy was employed by displaying Neurospora crassa glutamate decarboxylase (GadB) on the surface of Escherichia coli using OmpC as an anchoring motif. To construct the display system, the GadB was fused to truncated C-terminus of OmpC and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant E. coli displaying GadB has produced 3.03 g/L of GABA from 10 g/L glutamate within 12 h of culture period. When the GadB display system was cultured at high cell density, 100% GABA yeild was achieved from 50 g/L of glutamate. The results suggest that the GadB expression on the E. coli surface is stable and effective on GABA production. The surface display strategy can be applied on other potential enzyme candidates and used in Industry for bulk chemical production.

Transcriptomics reveal different metabolic strategies for acid resistance and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production in select Levilactobacillus brevis strains

BackgroundOf the many neurotransmitters in humans, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shows potential for improving several mental health indications such as stress and anxiety. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is an important pathway for GABAergic effects, as microbially-secreted GABA within the gut can affect host mental health outcomes. Understanding the molecular characteristics of GABA production by microbes within the gut can offer insight to novel therapies for mental health.ResultsThree strains of Levilactobacillus brevis with syntenous glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) operons were evaluated for overall growth, glutamate utilization, and GABA production in typical synthetic growth media supplemented with monosodium glutamate (MSG). Levilactobacillus brevis Lbr-6108™ (Lbr-6108), formerly known as L. brevis DPC 6108, and Levilactobacillus brevis Lbr-35 ™ (Lbr-35) had similar growth profiles but differed significantly in GABA secretion and acid resistance. Lbr-6108 produced GABA early within the growth phase and produced significantly more GABA than Lbr-35 and the type strain Levilactobacillus brevis ATCC 14869 after the stationary phase. The global gene expression during GABA production at several timepoints was determined by RNA sequencing. The GAD operon, responsible for GABA production and secretion, activated in Lbr-6108 after only 6 h of fermentation and continued throughout the stationary phase. Furthermore, Lbr-6108 activated many different acid resistance mechanisms concurrently, which contribute to acid tolerance and energy production. In contrast, Lbr-35, which has a genetically similar GAD operon, including two copies of the GAD gene, showed no upregulation of the GAD operon, even when cultured with MSG.ConclusionsThis study is the first to evaluate whole transcriptome changes in Levilactobacillus brevis during GABA production in different growth phases. The concurrent expression of multiple acid-resistance mechanisms reveals niche-specific metabolic functionality between common human commensals and highlights the complex regulation of GABA metabolism in this important microbial species. Furthermore, the increased and rapid GABA production of Lbr-6108 highlights the strain’s potential as a therapeutic and the overall value of screening microbes for effector molecule output.

Whole-cell display of Pyrococcus horikoshii glutamate decarboxylase in Escherichia coli for high-titer extracellular gamma-aminobutyric acid production.

We investigated the effect of cell-surface display of glutamate decarboxylase (GadB) on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production in recombinant Escherichia coli. We integrated GadB from the hyperthermophilic, anaerobic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii to the C-terminus of the E. coli outer membrane protein C (OmpC). After 12 hr of culturing GadB-displaying cells, the GABA concentration in the extracellular medium increased to 3.2 g/l, which is eight times that obtained with cells expressing GadB in the cytosol. To further enhance GABA production, we increased the temperatures of the culture. At 60°C, the obtained GABA concentration was 4.62 g/l after 12 hr of culture, and 5.35 g/l after 24 hr, which corresponds to a yield of 87.7%.

Elevation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and essential amino acids in vacuum impregnation mediated germinated rice traced by MALDI imaging

Rice is known to contain limiting amino acids. Synthesis of GABA in plants is an adaptive response by initiating glutamic acid. A higher rate of GABA production was observed in samples enriched with glutamic acid and vacuum impregnation (VI) with longer germination time. Heat map profiles classified GABA and essential amino acids into 1) small increments consisting of Arg, His and Met, 2) moderate increments consisting of GABA, Trp, Lys, Phe and Thr, and 3) large increments consisting of Ile, Leu and Val. In Jasmine rice, highest essential amino acids were found in samples soaked with water, enriched with glutamic acid, and germinated for 72–96 h. Highest GABA (44.8 mg/100 g) was noticed after VI for 20–40 min and germinated for 72–96 h. In Riceberry, highest GABA (74.2 mg/100 g) and essential amino acids were associated with samples treated with VI for 20–40 min and germinated for 96 h.

Investigating the effect of pH, different concentrations of glutamate acid and salt on production in low-fat probiotic cheese.

Background and Objectives:Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid produced by lactic acid bacteria. Among GABA-producing bacteria, lactic acid bacteria have received more attention due to their probiotic nature and properties such as inhibiting pathogenic bacteria, strengthening the immune system, and so on.Materials and Methods:Investigation on the effect of three independent variables including pH (4.7, 4.9 and 5.1), glutamic acid (1, 2 and 3 mgg-1) and salt (2, 2.5 and 3%) on GABA production in low fat cheese by probiotic bacteria.Results:By increasing the amount of glutamic acid and decreasing the pH from 5.1 to 4.7, the amount of GABA production in ultra-filtration cheese significantly increased on the 15th and 30th days of production (p≤0.05), while by increasing the amount of salt the production GABA decreased on the 15th and 30th days. Simultaneous optimal conditions to achieve maximum GABA production in cheese on the 15th and 30th production day was respectively 167.7917 mg/kg−1 and 220.125 mg/kg−1 using 3 mg/g glutamic acid, 2% salt at pH 4.7.Conclusion:The results showed that by identifying probiotic bacteria with the highest potential for GABA production and optimizing the culture medium, more GABA can be produced in food products and a positive step can be taken to produce pragmatic products and promote consumer health.

Evaluation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production by Lactobacillus plantarum using two-step fermentation.

Lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum KCTC 3103) were fermented to produce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The conditions of the modified synthetic medium were optimized as 5g/L glucose, 10g/L yeast extract, 100g/L rice bran extract, and 1.0g/L ascorbic acid for GABA production. Single-step fermentation of cell growth and GABA production with a modified synthetic medium was higher than those with an MRS medium. Two-step fermentation was evaluated by separating the cell growth and GABA production under a modified synthetic medium. The cell concentration of 1.65g dcw/L produced by the modified synthetic medium was higher than that of 1.0g dcw/L produced by the MRS medium at 36h from the first step of two-step fermentation. The highest GABA production of L. plantarum KCTC 3103 was 0.67g/L with monosodium glutamate addition at 60h in the second step of fermentation. Two-step fermentation with the modified synthetic medium is suitable for GABA production because of its high GABA productivity and favorable cell growth.

Co-production of gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) and lactic acid using Lactobacillus plantarum LP-9 from agro-residues

Microbial conversion of agro-residues into valuable products such as GABA and lactic acid is of considerable environmental and biotechnological significance. In this study, twenty-nine lactic acid bacteria were isolated from traditional fermented milk and screened for lactic acid and GABA production. Among these, one strain LP-9, identified as Lactobacillus plantarum demonstrated co-production of GABA (0.86 g/L) and lactic acid (19.81 g/L) in De Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) broth supplemented with 1% monosodium glutamate (MSG). Under RSM optimized conditions, cumulative effect of factors influencing microbial product formation led to a two-fold increase in production of GABA (1.53 g/L) as compared to unoptimized conditions along with substantial production of lactic acid (21.87 g/L). Further, to develop an economical bioprocess on these lines, L. plantarum LP-9 was tested for its capability to utilize agro residues (wheat bran, rice bran and corn bran) and cassava (starchy food crop as control) in form of carbon source for GABA and lactic acid production using conditions optimized in RSM. The substrates were saccharified with enzyme cocktail containing α-amylase, amyloglucosidase, and cellulase followed by fermentation with L. plantarum LP-9 in MRS medium supplemented with 1% MSG but without sugar. The results showed that the saccharified agroresidues tested gave significant and comparable production of GABA (1.14–1.30 g/L) and lactic acid (22.83–29.82 g/L) as that obtained with cassava (1.39 g/L GABA and 31.76 g/L LA). This study illustrated the potential of isolate L. plantarum LP-9 to co-produce GABA and lactic acid from agro residues via biorefinery approach. The developed bioprocess will also help in safe, efficient and ecofriendly disposal of agriwastes.

Characterization and comparative genomic analysis of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-producing lactic acid bacteria from Thai fermented foods.

This study aimed to screen, characterize, and annotate the genome along with the comparison of GABA synthesis genes presented in lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Thirty-five LAB isolates from fermented foods were screened for GABA production using thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Fifteen isolates produced GABA ranging from 0.07 to 22.94 g/L. Based on their GTG5 profiles, phenotypic, and genotypic characteristics, isolates LSI1-1, LSI1-5, LSI2-1, LSI2-2, LSI2-3, LSI2-5, and LSM3-1-4 were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum; isolate LSM1-4 was Lactobacillus argentoratensis; isolates CAB1-2, CAB1-5, CAB1-7, and LSI1-4 were Lactobacillus pentosus; and CAB1-1, LSM3-1-1 and LSM3-2-3 were Lactobacillus fermentum. Strains LSI2-1 and CAB1-7 from pickled vegetables were selected for genome analysis. The gadA gene (1410 bp, 470aa) was encountered in GABA production of both strains and no other glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) genes were found in the genomes when compared with other LAB strains. The presence of gadA is evidence for GABA production. Strains LSI2-1 and CAB1-7 produced 22.94 g/L and 11.59 g/L of GABA in GYP broth supplemented with 3% (w/v) MSG at 30 °C for 72 h, respectively. Our report highlights the characterization of LAB and GABA production of L. plantarum LSI2-1 strain with its GABA synthesis gene. GABA production of strains LSI2-1 and CAB1-7 in GYP broth with 3% (w/v) MSG and comparative GAD genes.