Application of Lactobacillus plantarum in Functional Products Based on Fermented Buckwheat

Regulatory effects of lactic acid bacteria co-fermented Dendrocalamus latiflorus shoots on lipid-lowering functions and the gut microbiota in HFD-fed mice

This study employed Lactobacillus plantarum R1 and Lactobacillus brevis R2 to ferment Dendrocalamus latiflorus shoots, significantly enhancing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content to 365.86 mg kg-1, representing a 3.86-fold increase compared to natural fermentation. Using fermented D. latiflorus shoots rich in GABA for intervention in HFD-induced obese mice, it was found that natural fermentation and inoculated fermentation reduced weight gain. Both treatments lowered serum TG, T-CHO, and LDL-C levels, reduced hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative stress, and decreased liver IL-1β and TNF-α levels. Notably, inoculated fermentation had a more pronounced fat-reducing effect. In addition, fermented D. latiflorus shoots rich in GABA improved the diversity and abundance of the gut microbiota in mice and particularly increased the abundances of Bacteroides and Verrucomicrobia and reduced those of Firmicutes and Deferribacteres, thereby alleviating gut microbiota disorders in HFD-fed mice. These results indicated that probiotic fermentation significantly increased the GABA content in fermented D. latiflorus shoots, and the fermented D. latiflorus shoots rich in GABA played a role in lowering lipid levels and alleviating gut microbiota disorders in HFD-fed mice. This study provides a foundation for the comprehensive utilization and sustainable development of bamboo shoot resources.

Process optimization, growth kinetics, and antioxidant activity of germinated buckwheat and amaranth-based yogurt mimic

This study aimed to investigate the integration of cereal and germinated pseudocereals into set-type yogurt mimic, resulting in a novel and nutritious product. Four groups of yogurts mimic, namely CPY-1, CPY-2, CPY-3, and CPY-4, were prepared using different probiotic cultures, including L. acidophilus 21, L. plantarum 14, and L. rhamnosus 296 along with starter cultures. Notably, CPY-2 cultured with L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus and incubated for 12 h exhibited the most desirable attributes. The resulting yogurt demonstrated an acidity of 0.65%, pH of 4.37 and a probiotic count of 6.38 log CFU/mL. The logistic growth model fit revealed maximum growth rates (k, 1/h) and maximum bacterial counts (Nm log CFU/mL) for each CPY variant. The results revealed that CPY-2 significantly improved protein, dietary fiber, phenols and antioxidant capacities compared to the control. Scanning electron microscopy showed more structured and compact casein network in CPY-2, highlighting its superior textural characteristics. Overall, this study demonstrates the incorporation of cereal and germinated pseudocereals into set-type yogurt mimic offers health benefits through increased dietary fiber and β-glucan.

Production of Bioactive Peptides from Tartary Buckwheat by Solid-State Fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 14917

Buckwheat is a valuable crop that contains various nutrients and functional components. Tartary buckwheat peptide is a protease-hydrolyzed protein with a wide range of physiological functions. Tartary buckwheat peptide produced through microbial fermentation can decrease the enzymatic digestion of buckwheat protein, which contributes to the bitter taste, and improve both the flavor and texture of buckwheat peptide products. In this study, microbial fermentation using probiotics was employed to prepare Tartary buckwheat peptides, and the preparation process was optimized. Based on single-factor experiments, the polypeptide content in the fermentation solution initially increased and then decreased with varying water content, inoculum concentration, glucose addition, fermentation temperature, fermentation time, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate addition. According to the response surface methodology, the maximum peptide content was achieved under fermentation conditions of 60.0% moisture content, 12.87% inoculum ratio, 2.0% glucose, and a fermentation temperature of 30.0 °C, with an actual value of (22.18 ± 1.02) mg/mL. The results show that fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum produces higher peptide levels and is safer than other microbial fermentation methods.

Preliminary Screening of Growth and Viability of 10 Strains of Bifidobacterium spp.: Effect of Media Composition

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) alone or with special adjunct probiotic strains are inevitable for the preparation of specific functional foods. Moreover, because of their growth and metabolism, final products are preserved for a certain time. Thus, in this work, growth and metabolic activity of novel animal origin isolates and culture collection strains of Bifidobacterium spp. were investigated. The influence of milk media (reconstituted or ultra-high-temperature (UHT) milk), compared with synthetic modified Wilkins–Chalgren (WCH) broth under aerobic conditions was investigated. All tested bifidobacterial strains (n = 10) were grown well (1–2 log colony-forming units (CFU)/mL for 24 h at 37 °C) in all substrates and levels higher than 5 log CFU/mL remained during the cold storage period. Generally, different substrates determined almost the same maximal population densities (MPD) after 24 h that range within the average values of 8.96 ± 0.43 log CFU/mL, 8.87 ± 0.52 log CFU/mL, and 8.75 ± 0.54 log CFU/mL in reconstituted milk, UHT milk, and WCH broth, respectively. After 28 days of storage, the pH levels in milk media and broth were reduced to 4.50–5.60 and 4.60–4.90, respectively, representing a decrease of 0.8–2.13 units.

Modeling of lactic acid fermentation of soy formulation with Lactobacillus plantarum HM1

Lactic acid bacteria alone or with special adjunct probiotic strains are inevitable for the preparation of various specific functional foods. Moreover, because of their growth and metabolism, the final products are preserved for a certain time. Thus, growth dynamics of the lactic acid bacteria of the Fresco DVS 1010 culture ( Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis spp. cremoris, Streptococcus salivarius spp. thermophilus) during liquid-state fermentation of soya mashes and pH values within the process were analyzed in this study. Although milk is the most typical growth medium for the lactic acid bacteria, presumable viable counts of Fresco culture reached levels 109 CFU ml-1 after 8 h, representing 2-3 log increase in comparison to initial state (specific growth rates ranged from 1.06 to 1.64 h-1). After 21 days of storage period, the pH levels in the products were reduced to 4.50-4.70, representing a decrease of about 1.5-1.7 units. All prepared soybean products contained detectable amounts of raffinose-series oligosaccharides (0.25-0.68 g per 100 g) that were reduced in average by about 30.5% during period of 21 days.