Evaluation of the probiotic potential of Pediococcus strains from fermented dairy product kefir

Abstract

Fermented dairy products mostly harbour some microbiota, also known as probiotics. Over the last years, there has been a significant increase in interest in probiotics. Among them, Pediococcus strains also exist in fermented dairy products, including kefir. However, the probiotic potential of Pediococcus strains has not been explored extensively. This study was performed to evaluate the probiotic potential of Pediococcus strains from traditionally produced kefir samples. To do this, a total of 32 kefir samples from Marmara and Central Anatolia regions in Turkey was collected. The samples were exposed to conventional microbiological analysis to culture lactic acid bacteria (LAB), followed by identification using VITEK<sup>®</sup> mass spectrometer (MS), and molecular characterisation of Pediococcus strains by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After that, the probiotic potential of each Pediococcus strain was tested for resistance to gastric acidity and bile salt and property of hydrophobicity. Overall, 22 strains (34.9%) were identified as Pediococcus spp. out of 63 LAB isolates. Among them, only one isolate, Pediococcus pentosaceus K6, was found to be resistant to gastric acidity, bile salt and to have hydrophobic properties. In conclusion, our study suggests that a limited number of strains could reveal their potential probiotic action on the host organism. Thus, Pediococcus strains of diverse natural origins can provide more insights into further probiotic supplement designs in human nutrition without genomic intervention.

Iranian traditional kefir beverage: isolation and identification of beneficial microorganisms and evaluation of antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens

“…First, the obtained colonies were examined in terms of morphological characteristics (shape, color, size and gram staining), then the colonies that were different in this respect were examined in terms of biochemical characteristics (catalase and oxidase tests) and finally, oxidase and catalase negative colonies were selected for molecular identification (Doğan and Ay, 2021).…”

Lactic Acid Bacteria in Raw-Milk Cheeses: From Starter Cultures to Probiotic Functions

“…A large amount of LAB, which can be classified as probiotics, are also present in milk and fermented dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt, and fermented milk [ 217 , 218 , 219 ]. As mentioned earlier, LAB can ferment various sugars and produce organic acids such as lactate and acetate, as well as other antimicrobial metabolites such as hydrogen peroxide and bacteriocins, all of which can effectively inhibit the growth of pathogenic organisms in the gut [ 205 , 220 ].…”

Evaluation of the probiotic, technological, safety attributes, and GABA-producing capacity of microorganisms isolated from Iranian milk kefir beverages

“…Probiotics have health-giving effects on the host when they reach the small intestine as live and active cells, for this reason, they must be resistant to the acidic and alkaline pH of the stomach, bile salts, pepsin, and pancreatin enzymes. Moreover, there are other factors besides resistance to stomach pH and bile salts to evaluate the probiotic potential, including the auto-aggregation ability for colonization in the intestine, co-aggregation ability with pathogens, and antimicrobial activity to inhibit the pathogens ( Barzegar et al, 2021 ; Doğan and Ay, 2021 ; Goktas et al, 2021 ; Almeida et al, 2022 ; He et al, 2022 ).…”

“…This study isolated different species of yeast including Saccharomyces cerevisiae , Kluyveromyces marxianus , Pichia fermentans , and Pichia kudriavzevii that showed one strain of P. fermentans and three strains of S. cerevisiae are proper candidates as probiotic yeast ( Rahmani et al, 2022 ). Other studies were related to Argentina, Korea, Brazil, Turkey, Malaysia, Singapore, and Mexico ( Carasi et al, 2014 ; Leite et al, 2015 ; Zanirati et al, 2015 ; Cassanego et al, 2017 ; Cho et al, 2018 ; Azhar and Munaim, 2019 ; Talib et al, 2019 ; Yerlikaya, 2019 ; Akpinar and Yerlikaya, 2021 ; Doğan and Ay, 2021 ; Hurtado-Romero et al, 2021 ; Tan et al, 2022 ; Youn et al, 2022 ).…”