Growth Parameters of Probiotic StrainLactobacillus Plantarum, Isolated from Traditional White Cheese

A Response Surface Methodological Approach for Large-Scale Production of Antibacterials from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum with Potential Utility against Foodborne and Orthopedic Infections

A variety of bacteria, including beneficial probiotic lactobacilli, produce antibacterials to kill competing bacteria. Lactobacilli secrete antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) called bacteriocins and organic acids. In the food industry, bacteriocins, but even whole cell-free supernatants, are becoming more and more important as bio-preservatives, while, in orthopedics, bacteriocins are introducing new perspectives in biomaterials technologies for anti-infective surfaces. Studies are focusing on Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (previously known as Lactobacillus plantarum). L. plantarum exhibits great phenotypic versatility, which enhances the chances for its industrial exploitation. Importantly, more than other lactobacilli, it relies on AMPs for its antibacterial activity. In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) through a Box-Behnken experimental design was used to estimate the optimal conditions for the production of antibacterials by L. plantarum. A temperature of 35 °C, pH 6.5, and an incubation time of 48 h provided the highest concentration of antibacterials. The initial pH was the main factor influencing the production of antibacterials, at 95% confidence level. Thanks to RSM, the titer of antibacterials increased more than 10-fold, this result being markedly higher than those obtained in the very few studies that have so far used similar statistical methodologies. The Box-Behnken design turned out to be a valid model to satisfactorily plan a large-scale production of antibacterials from L. plantarum.

Exploration adhesion properties of Liquorilactobacillus and Lentilactobacillus isolated from two different sources of tepache kefir grains

Due to the distinctive characteristics of probiotics, it is essential to pinpoint strains originating from diverse sources that prove efficacious in addressing a range of pathologies linked to dysfunction of the intestinal barrier. Nine strains of lactic acid bacteria were isolated from two different sources of tepache kefir grains (KAS2, KAS3, KAS4, KAS7, KAL4, KBS2, KBS3, KBL1 and KBL3), and were categorized to the genus Lacticaseibacillus, Liquorilactobacillus, and Lentilactobacillus by 16S rRNA gene. Kinetic behaviors of these strains were evaluated in MRS medium, and their probiotic potential was performed: resistance to low pH, tolerance to pepsin, pancreatin, bile salts, antibiotic resistance, hemolytic activity, and adhesion ability. KAS7 strain presented a higher growth rate (0.50 h-1) compared with KAS2 strain, who presented a lower growth rate (0.29 h-1). KBS2 strain was the only strain that survived the in vitro stomach simulation conditions (29.3%). Strain KBL1 demonstrated significantly higher viability (90.6%) in the in vitro intestine simulation conditions. Strain KAS2 demonstrated strong hydrophilic character with chloroform (85.6%) and xylol (57.6%) and a higher percentage of mucin adhesion (87.1%). However, strains KBS2 (84.8%) and KBL3 (89.5%) showed the highest autoaggregation values. In terms of adhesion to the intestinal epithelium in rats, strains KAS2, KAS3 and KAS4 showed values above 80%. The growth of the strains KAS2, KAS3, KAS4, KBS2, and KBL3 was inhibited by cefuroxime, cefotaxime, tetracycline, ampicillin, erythromycin, and cephalothin. Strains KBS2 (41.9% and 33.5%) and KBL3 (42.5% and 32.8%) had the highest co-aggregation values with S. aureus and E. coli. The results obtained in this study indicate that lactic acid bacteria isolated from tepache can be considered as candidates for potentially probiotic bacteria, laying the foundations to evaluate their probiotic functionality in vivo and thus to be used in the formulation of functional foods.

A novel Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strain: probiotic properties and optimization of the growth conditions by response surface methodology

The objective of this study is to explore the probiotic properties and optimal growth conditions of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum BG24. L. plantarum BG24 exhibited a remarkable ability to utilize lactose, and to grow under acidic conditions and in the presence of high levels of bile salts. The strain showed the highest antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes Scott A (zone of inhibition: 26 mm). L. plantarum BG24 was found to be resistant to 8 of the tested 19 antibiotics using the disc diffusion method.and its multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index was calculated as 0.421. The adhesion rate to human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells was determined as 37.51%. The enzyme profile of L. plantarum BG24 was investigated using API ZYM test kit and the highest enzymatic activities were found for Leucine arylamidase, β-glucosidase, Valine arylamidase, β-galactosidase and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase. L. plantarum BG24 strain showed higher microbial growth under static conditions (6.60 OD600) compared to 100 rpm (5.73 OD600) and 200 rpm (5.02 OD600) shaking speed due to its facultative anaerobic characteristic. However, different inoculation rates and glucose addition did not make a statistically significant difference on biomass formation (p > 0.05). The specific growth rate of L. plantarum BG24 was 0.416 h-1, the doubling time was 1.67 h, and the biomass productivity value was 0.14 gL-1 h-1 in the original MRS broth (pH 5.7) while higher values were found as 0.483 h-1, 1.43 h and 0.17 gL-1 h-1, respectively, in MRS broth (pH 6.5) medium enriched with 5 g/L yeast extract. The stirred tank bioreactor was used to optimise the growth of BG24 strain. The process variables was optimized at 0.05 vvm of aeration rate, 479 rpm of agitation speed, 3% of inoculation rate and 18 h of incubation time. The maximum biomass (g/L) production was obtained as 3.84 g/L at the optimized conditions.

Fermentation of Habanero Pepper by Two Lactic Acid Bacteria and Its Effect on the Production of Volatile Compounds

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is a lactic acid bacterium that grows in different environments; this ability arises due to the variability within the species, which may be influenced by their origin. On the other hand, habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) from Yucatan, Mexico, is characterized by its unique sensory properties such as aroma and pungency and has an annual production of more than 5000 t in the Yucatan Peninsula. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare L. plantarum from different isolation sources during habanero pepper fermentation. A 23 factorial design was made for the evaluation of the effect of two cultures a commercial (COM) and a wild (WIL) strain, in a habanero pepper puree medium (HPP); ripe and unripe peppers and different proportions of habanero pepper puree (40:60 or 60:40, HPP:water, w/w) were used to obtain the kinetic parameters of growth, lactic acid production, and volatile composition. The highest growth and lactic acid production were achieved in the 60:40 HPP:water, while WIL presented the major production of lactic acid. Characteristic volatiles in WIL fermentation were 2,3- butanedione, whereas in COM fermentation, they were limonene, cis-3-hexenyl hexanoate, and 1-hexanol. The association between COM and 1-hexanol was confirmed with principal component analysis (PCA).

Inhibitory Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum FL75 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides FL14 against Foodborne Pathogens in Artificially Contaminated Fermented Tomato Juices

Tomatoes and tomato based-foods contain beneficial microorganisms and various organic acids that have important nutritional values for human. The objective of this study was to access the physiochemical properties of fermented tomatoes juices and to evaluate the competitiveness of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) against Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria innocua, and Salmonella spp., in artificially contaminated tomato juice. Microbial counting (LAB, fungi Salmonella spp., and Listeria spp.) was performed after fermentation and weekly during storage. Different organic acids (Lactic, succinic, and acetic) and ethanol were also monitored using HPLC method. Color parameters were also determined. The results showed an increase of lactic and acetic acid content, during fermentation and storage of juices inoculated with Lactobacillus plantarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides at 25°C. Besides, citric acid and ethanol revealed higher content at the end of storage compared to that registered at 4°C. The pH from tomatoes juices decreased from an initial value of 4.5 to below 3.2. Alongside, foodborne pathogen population was significantly suppressed in tomatoes juices when the samples were coinoculated with LAB strains. Moreover, the inhibition of Salmonella species was faster compared to that of Listeria. After four weeks of storage at 4°C, Lb. plantarum and Lc. mesenteroides showed high survival rate, while pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, and molds cell numbers decreased drastically in all the contaminated vials. This work highlights the efficiency of Lb. plantarum and Lc. mesenteroides as potential starters for developing nutritious and safe fermented tomato juice products.

The Use of Tomato Powder Fermented with Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus sakei for the Ready-to-Cook Minced Meat Quality Improvement

In this study, the influence of lactic acid fermentation on the quality of tomato powder was evaluated. The effect of adding fermented tomato powder to ready-to-cook minced pork meat to improve its nutritional value and sensory characteristics was also analysed. The cell growth of Lactobacillus sakei (7.53 log CFU/g) was more intense in the medium containing tomato powder, compared to the growth of Pediococcus pentosaceus (6.35 log CFU/g) during 24 h of fermentation; however, higher acidity (pH=4.1) was observed in the tomato powder samples fermented with Pediococcus pentosaceus. The spontaneous fermentation of tomato powder reduced cell growth by 38% and pH values slightly increased to 4.17, compared to the fermentation with pure LAB. The lactofermentation of tomato powder increased the average β-carotene and lycopene mass fractions by 43.9 and 50.2%, respectively, compared with the nonfermented samples. Lycopene and β-carotene contents in the ready-to-cook minced pork meat were proportional to the added tomato powder (10 and 30%). After cooking, β-carotene and lycopene contents decreased, on average, by 24.2 and 41.2%, respectively. The highest loss (up to 49.2%) of carotenoids was found in samples with 30% nonfermented tomato powder. Tomato powder fermented with 10% Lactobacillus sakei KTU05-6 can be recommended as both a colouring agent and a source of lycopene in the preparation of ready-to-cook minced pork meat.

Dissipation of pirimiphos-methyl during wheat fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum

In this study, the dissipation of pirimiphos-methyl during wheat fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum was investigated. Sample preparation for GC/MS detection of pirimiphos-methyl residues from fermented wheat substrate was carried out by two steps: extraction with 25 mL of methanol : acetone = 1 : 1 solvent mix for 30 min, followed by clean-up procedure through a glass column with florisil coupled with elution by 25 mL of ethyl acetate : acetone = 4 : 1. To obtain the highest pesticide degradation level, the fermentation conditions were optimized according to response surface methodology. Our results showed that L. plantarum was able to reduce the level of pirimiphos-methyl in wheat. Although pirimiphos-methyl was partially labile during sterilization prior inoculation (~37-50%), and there was also spontaneous chemical degradation of pesticide (~6-11%), overall L. plantarum enhanced degradation from 15 to 34%, that is, to nearly 81%. Additionally, the effect of pirimiphos-methyl on the lactobacilli growth, and efficiency of fermentation, was studied where pirimiphos-methyl inhibit the growth of bacteria in concentrations higher than 5 mg kg(-1), while the presence of pirimiphos-methyl did not overall affect the lactic acid fermentation.

Fructooligosaccharides metabolism and effect on bacteriocin production in Lactobacillus strains isolated from ensiled corn and molasses

Fructo- (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides have been used to promote the growth of probiotics, mainly those from Lactobacillus genus. However, only few reports have evaluated the effect of prebiotics on bacteriocins activity and production. In this work, we characterized the effect of FOS supplementation on the growth, lactic and acetic acids production, and antimicrobial activity of crude extracts obtained from Lactobacillus strains isolated from ensiled corn and molasses. Seven out of 28 isolated Lactobacillus, belonging to Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus brevis, showed antimicrobial activity against Listeria innocua. Among them, the strain L. plantarum LE5 showed antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Enteroccocus faecalis; while the L. plantarum LE27 strain showed antimicrobial effect against L. monocytogenes, E. faecalis, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis. This antimicrobial activity in most of the cases was obtained only after FOS supplementation. In summary, these results show the feasibility to increase the antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus bacteriocins by supplementing the growth medium with FOS.