Enterococcus hailinensis sp. nov., Isolated from Traditional Chinese Pickle

Two enterococcal isolates, designated as strains N48-2T and N48-9.1, were isolated from traditional Chinese pickle ('Suan cai') and characterized using a polyphasic approach. Phylogenies based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and whole genome sequences indicated that strains N48-2T and N48-9.1 were most closely related to Enterococcus hermanniensis LMG 12317T. Strains N48-2T and N48-9.1 shared the highest 16S rRNA (99.5%), pheS (90.3%), rpoA (97.7% and 97.5%) and concatenated pheS and rpoA (95.1% and 95.0%) gene sequence similarities with the type strain of E. hermanniensis. Strains N48-2T and N48-9.1 had 86.7%-87.9% ANI, 33.6%-33.8% dDDH and 91.7%-92.2% AAI values with E. hermanniensis DSM 17122T. Phenotypically, strains N48-2T and N48-9.1 could be distinguished from DSM 17122T by acid production from D-galactose, L-sorbose, L-rhamnose and amygdalin, H2S production, resistance to streptomycin sulfate (50 μg/ml), kanamycin sulfate (50 μg/ml), neomycin sulfate (5 μg/ml) and gentamicin sulfate (5 μg/ml), tolerance to 6% NaCl, and growth at pH 5 and 40 °C. Based on these data, strains N48-2T (= JCM 37000T = CCTCC AB 2024127T = LMG 33662T) and N48-9.1 represent a novel species, in which the name Enterococcus hailinensis sp. nov., is proposed.

Fermented Royal Jelly Enriched With 10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid and Its Potential for Enhancing Mucosal Immunity

Royal jelly (RJ) is known to contain 10-hydroxydecanoic acid (10HDAA), which has been shown to have immune activation properties, including the promotion of M cell differentiation. However, the natural concentration of 10HDAA in RJ is relatively low. To enhance the functional use of RJ as an immunostimulatory food ingredient, this study aimed to increase its 10HDAA content using bacteria capable of converting 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10H2DA) to 10HDAA in RJ. A lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus panisapium, was isolated from the digestive tract of queen bees and demonstrated a high capacity to convert 10H2DA to 10HDAA. Using the isolated strain, fermented RJ (fRJ) with a fivefold increase in 10HDAA content was produced compared to raw RJ. Preliminary evaluations of fRJ's immune-stimulating effects revealed significant benefits, including enhanced M cell differentiation, activation of macrophage phagocytic ability, and increased immunoglobulin (Ig) A secretion in individuals with reduced salivary IgA levels. Safety assessments confirmed that fRJ is safe for consumption. In summary, fRJ enriched with 10HDAA was produced and demonstrated potential as an immune-stimulating food.

Lacticaseibacillus jixiensis sp. nov., Isolated from Traditional Chinese Pickle

A novel lactic acid bacterial strain (designated N163-3-2T), isolated from traditional Chinese pickle ('Suan cai'), was characterized using a polyphasic approach. Strain N163-3-2T was most closely related to the type strains of Lacticaseibacillus baoqingensis, Lacticaseibacillus manihotivorans, and Lacticaseibacillus porcinae, having 97.9-98.4% 16S rRNA gene, 82.0-85.1% pheS, 87.5-87.8% rpoA, and 85.8-86.7% concatenated pheS and rpoA sequence similarities. Strain N163-3-2T had 74.4-81.7% ANI, 22.6-23.9% dDDH, and 74.0-75.1% AAI values with L. baoqingensis 47-3T, L. manihotivorans DSM 13343T and L. porcinae JCM 19617T, less than the threshold for species demarcation (95-96%, 70% and 95-96%, respectively), indicating that strain N163-3-2T represented a novel species of the genus Lacticaseibacillus. Based upon the data obtained in the present study, a novel species, Lacticaseibacillus jixiensis sp. nov., is proposed, and the type strain is N163-3-2T (= CCTCC AB 2024125T = JCM 36999T).

Lapidilactobacillus salsurivasis sp. nov., Secundilactobacillus muriivasis sp. nov., and Streptococcus parasalivarius sp. nov., isolated from Traditional Chinese Pickle

Four Gram-stain-positive bacterial strains (designated 475-2T, 46-6BT, 778-2T and A810-3), isolated from traditional Chinese pickle, were characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Strain 475-2T was most closely related to the type strain of Lapidilactobacillus achengensis, having 99.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 94.1-95.1% average nucleotide identity (ANI) and 57.6% digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values. Strain 46-6BT was most closely related to the type strain of Secundilactobacillus similis, having 99.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, 94.3-94.9% ANI and 58.9-59.2% dDDH values. Strains 778-2T and A810-3 were phylogenetically related to the type strains of Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus thermophilus and Streptococcus vestibularis, having 99.7-99.9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, 89.1-94.4% ANI and 39.0-55.5% dDDH values. Based upon the data obtained in the present study, three novel species, Lapidilactobacillus salsurivasis sp. nov., Secundilactobacillus muriivasis sp. nov. and Streptococcus parasalivarius sp. nov., are proposed and the type strains are 475-2T (= JCM 36613T = CCTCC AB 2023258T = LMG 33412T), 46-6BT (= JCM 36612T = CCTCC AB 2023259T = LMG 33411T) and 778-2T (= JCM 36614T = CCTCC AB 2023257T = LMG 33413T), respectively.