Effect of Simulated Gastrointestinal Tract Conditions on Survivability of Probiotic Bacteria Present in Commercial Preparations

Abstract

Probiotics are recommended, among others, in the diet of children who are under antibiotic therapy, or that suffer from food allergies or travel diarrhea, etc. In the case of toddlers taking probiotic preparations, it is highly recommended to first remove the special capsule, which normally protects probiotic strains against hard conditions in the gastrointestinal tract. Otherwise, the toddler may choke. This removal can impair probiotic survival and reduce its efficacy in a toddler’s organism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survivability of five strains of lactic acid bacteria from the commercial probiotics available on the Polish market under simulated conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Five probiotics (each including one of these strains: Bifidobacterium BB-12, Lactobacillus (Lb.) rhamnosus GG, Lb. casei, Lb. acidophilus, Lb. plantarum) were protective capsule deprived, added in a food matrix (chicken–vegetable soup) and subjected under simulated conditions of the gastric and gastrointestinal passage. Strain survivability and possibility to growth were evaluated. Obtained results showed that, among all analyzed commercial probiotic strains, the Lb. plantarum was the most resistant to the applied conditions of the culture medium. They showed a noticeable growth under both in vitro gastric conditions at pH 4.0 and 5.0, as well as in vitro intestinal conditions at all tested concentrations of bile salts.

Physiological and Genomic Analysis of Bacillus pumilus UAMX Isolated from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Overweight Individuals

“…However, in vitro studies are fully reproducible, rapid, less expensive, and do not involve ethical restrictions. Nonetheless, a variation in the experimental conditions may restrict data comparison within researchers [ 54 , 55 , 56 ]. Still, in vitro models are recommended for metabolic and biochemical experiments [ 57 ].…”

“…However, Bacillus strains have shown higher survival response than other Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus probiotic strains in simulated GIT conditions as reported by Soares et al [ 61 ]. The data suggest the resistance of the studied strain to the GIT transit, but further studies need to be conducted as this simplified in vitro model has several restrictions in comparison to the in vivo conditions, where factors such as the GIT human physiology and peristaltic movements; the presence of gastric and pancreatic enzymes (proteases, amylases, and lipases), salts and hormones; as well as, the microbial capability for adhesion to the intestinal epithelium and their ability to proliferate in the presence of other microorganisms, are not considered [ 54 , 55 , 56 ].…”

Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Fresh Vegetable Products: Potential Probiotic and Postbiotic Characteristics Including Immunomodulatory Effects

“…Probiotics should possess good resistance toward bile salts in order to survive in the human GIT [1]. Therefore, high survival percentages indicate good bile salt tolerance [21,23]. As shown in Table 2, the survival rates ranged from 22.5 to 53.6%, 32.5 to 51.5%, and 41.8 to 60.9% in MRS supplemented with CA, OX, and TA, respectively, after 3 h of incubation.…”

“…Bile salts have a destructive effect on the membrane lipids of the bacterial cell [1]. Probiotics' resistance to various bile salts depends on the bacterial species and strains [23,24]. According to previous studies, resistance to bile salts can be due to the presence of polysaccharides on the outer membrane [25].…”

Recent trends in encapsulation of probiotics in dairy and beverage: A review

“…By 2024, the forecast market size of Bifidobacterium strains will grow up to 6% while Bacillus strains may exceed 180 million USD (Lee & Paik, 2021). It is essential to sustain the survivability of probiotics by the circumstances provoked during the development process, storage, and functionality period where it is needed (Stasiak‐Różańska et al, 2021). The viability of certain probiotics is affected after disclosure to a heated environment, oxygen, or moisture.…”