Safety Evaluation of Bacillus subtilis IDCC1101, Newly Isolated from Cheonggukjang, for Industrial Applications

In Silico Safety Assessment of Bacillus Isolated from Polish Bee Pollen and Bee Bread as Novel Probiotic Candidates

Bacillus species isolated from Polish bee pollen (BP) and bee bread (BB) were characterized for in silico probiotic and safety attributes. A probiogenomics approach was used, and in-depth genomic analysis was performed using a wide array of bioinformatics tools to investigate the presence of virulence and antibiotic resistance properties, mobile genetic elements, and secondary metabolites. Functional annotation and Carbohydrate-Active enZYmes (CAZYme) profiling revealed the presence of genes and a repertoire of probiotics properties promoting enzymes. The isolates BB10.1, BP20.15 (isolated from bee bread), and PY2.3 (isolated from bee pollen) genome mining revealed the presence of several genes encoding acid, heat, cold, and other stress tolerance mechanisms, adhesion proteins required to survive and colonize harsh gastrointestinal environments, enzymes involved in the metabolism of dietary molecules, antioxidant activity, and genes associated with the synthesis of vitamins. In addition, genes responsible for the production of biogenic amines (BAs) and D-/L-lactate, hemolytic activity, and other toxic compounds were also analyzed. Pan-genome analyses were performed with 180 Bacillus subtilis and 204 Bacillus velezensis genomes to mine for any novel genes present in the genomes of our isolates. Moreover, all three isolates also consisted of gene clusters encoding secondary metabolites.

Blending Three Probiotics Alleviates Loperamide-Induced Constipation in Sprague-Dawley (SD)-Rats

BIOVITA 3 bacterial species (BIOVITA 3), a probiotic blend powder containing Clostridium butyricum IDCC 1301, Weizmannia coagulans IDCC 1201 and Bacillus subtilis IDCC 1101, has been used as a food ingredient for gut health. However, its efficacy in improving constipation has not been reported. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the functional effects of oral administration of BIOVITA 3 as well as its component strains alone (at 1.0×109 CFU/day) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with loperamide-induced constipation. The study included fecal analysis, gastrointestinal transit ratio, histopathological analysis, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and metagenome analysis. As results, the BIOVITA 3 group showed significant improvements in fecal number, water content, gastrointestinal transit ratio, and thickening of the mucosal layer. In the SCFAs analysis, all probiotic-treated groups showed an increase in total SCFAs compared to the loperamide-constipated group. Changes in microbial abundance and the diversity index of three groups (normal, constipated, and BIOVITA 3) were also defined. Of these, the BIOVITA 3 showed a significant improvement in loperamide-constipated SD-rats. This study suggests the possibility that BIOVITA 3 can be applied as an ingredient in functional foods to relieve constipation.

Exploring the hemicellulolytic properties and safety of Bacillus paralicheniformis as stepping stone in the use of new fibrolytic beneficial microbes

Bacillus strains from the Moroccan Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (CCMM) were characterised and tested for fibrolytic function and safety properties that would be beneficial for maintaining intestinal homeostasis, and recommend beneficial microbes in the field of health promotion research. Forty strains were investigated for their fibrolytic activities towards complex purified polysaccharides and natural fibres representative of dietary fibres (DFs) entering the colon for digestion. We demonstrated hemicellulolytic activities for nine strains of Bacillus aerius, re-identified as Bacillus paralicheniformis and Bacillus licheniformis, using xylan, xyloglucan or lichenan as purified polysaccharides, and orange, apple and carrot natural fibres, with strain- and substrate-dependent production of glycoside hydrolases (GHs). Our combined methods, based on enzymatic assays, secretome, and genome analyses, highlighted the hemicellulolytic activities of B. paralicheniformis and the secretion of specific glycoside hydrolases, in particular xylanases, compared to B. licheniformis. Genomic features of these strains revealed a complete set of GH genes dedicated to the degradation of various polysaccharides from DFs, including cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin, which may confer on the strains the ability to digest a variety of DFs. Preliminary experiments on the safety and immunomodulatory properties of B. paralicheniformis fibrolytic strains were evaluated in light of applications as beneficial microbes' candidates for health improvement. B. paralicheniformis CCMM B969 was therefore proposed as a new fibrolytic beneficial microbe candidate.

Effect of Selected Factors Influencing Biogenic Amines Degradation by Bacillus subtilis Isolated from Food

Modern food technology research has researched possible approaches to reducing the concentration of biogenic amines in food and thereby enhance and guarantee food safety. Applying adjunct cultures that can metabolise biogenic amines is a potential approach to reach the latter mentioned goal. Therefore, this study aims to study the crucial factors that could determine the decrease in biogenic amines concentration (histamine, tyramine, phenylethylamine, putrescine and cadaverine) in foodstuffs using Bacillus subtilis DEPE IB1 isolated from gouda-type cheese. The combined effects of cultivation temperature (8 °C, 23 °C and 30 °C) and the initial pH of the medium (5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0) under aerobic and also anaerobic conditions resulted in the decrease of the tested biogenic amines concentration during the cultivation time (another factor tested). Bacillus subtilis was cultivated (in vitro) in a medium supplemented with biogenic amines, and their degradation was detected using the high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with UV-detector. The course of biogenic amines degradation by Bacillus subtilis DEPE IB1 was significantly influenced by cultivation temperature and also the initial pH of the medium (p < 0.05). At the end of the cultivation, the concentration of all of the monitored biogenic amines was significantly reduced by 65-85% (p < 0.05). Therefore, this strain could be used for preventive purposes and contributes to food safety enhance.

Systems Metabolic Engineering of Industrial Microorganisms

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