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In this study, we isolated Lactobacillus spp. from bovine raw milk and artisanal cheese from southern Brazil, and evaluated their technological and probiotic potential to select new isolates for producing healthy fermented dairy foods with differentiated tastes and flavours. We obtained 48 new lactobacilli isolates, which were isolated from raw milk (38) and cheese (10). These bacterial isolates were closely related with ten species: Lactobacillus paracasei (50% of the isolates), L. parabuchneri (15%), L. pentosus (13%), L. zeae (4%), L. plantarum (4%), L. otakiensis (4%), L. casei (4%), L. harbinensis (2%), L. diolivorans (2%), and L. rhamnosus (2%). Isolates CH112 and CH131 showed the greatest acidification potential, reducing the pH of milk to below 5.3 after incubation for 6 h at 32 °C. Considering proteolytic activity and diacetyl production, isolates ML88a, ML04, and ML12 showed the most promising results. Isolate ML12 showed 100% survival rate when inoculated in gastric juice at pH 2.5. The evaluation of antibacterial activity of the lactobacilli showed that the pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidis, and Salmonella Typhimurium were strongly inhibited by the pure lactobacilli cultures. Five Lactobacillus isolates (ML01, ML04, ML12, ML88, and CH139) showed both technological and probiotic characteristics. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to investigate correlations among technological and probiotic characteristics, and identified new promising lactobacilli isolates for exploring their characteristics. This study reveals the importance of selecting new microorganisms with potential applicability in the food industry for developing functional foods with differentiated aromas and flavours. Keyword Brazil. Fermented dairy foods. Functional foods. Lactic acid bacteria. Lactobacilli isolates. Starter culture.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient for living beings, as it helps to maintain the normal physiological functions of the organism. The numerous discoveries involving the importance of this element to the health of human beings have fostered interest in research to develop enriched and functional foods. The present study evaluated the potential for bacterial strains of Enterococcus faecalis (CH121 and CH124), Lactobacillus parabuchneri (ML4), Lactobacillus paracasei (ML13, ML33, CH135, and CH139), and Lactobacillus plantarum (CH131) to bioaccumulate Se in their biomass by adding different concentrations of sodium selenite (30 to 200 mg/L) to the culture medium. Quantification of Se with UV and visible molecular absorption spectroscopy showed that the investigated bacteria were able to bioaccumulate this micromineral into their biomass. Two of the L. paracasei strains (ML13 and CH135) bioaccumulated the highest Se concentrations (38.1 ± 1.7 mg/g and 40.7 ± 1.1 mg/g, respectively) after culture in the presence of 150 mg/L of Se. This bioaccumulation potential has applications in the development of dairy products and may be an alternative Se source in the diets of humans and other animals.

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