Use of kefir-derived lactic acid bacteria for the preparation of a fermented soy drink with increased estrogenic activity.

Fermented foods are receiving growing attention for their health promoting properties. In particular, there is a growing demand for plant-based fermented foods as dairy alternatives. Considering that soy is a vegetal food rich in nutrients and a source of the phytoestrogen isoflavones, the aim of this study was to select safe food microorganisms with the ability to ferment a soy drink resulting in a final product with an increased estrogenic activity and improved functional properties. We used milk kefir grains, a dairy source of microorganisms with proven health-promoting properties, as a starting inoculum for a soymilk. After 14 passages of daily inoculum in fresh soy drink, we isolated four lactic acid bacterial strains: Lactotoccus lactis subsp. lactis K03, Leuconostc pseudomesenteroides K05, Leuconostc mesenteroides K09 and Lentilactobacillus kefiri K10. Isolated strains were proven to be safe for human consumption according to the assessment of their antibiotic resistance profile and comparative genomics. Furthermore, functional characterization of the bacterial strains demonstrated their ability to ferment sugars naturally present in soybeans and produce a creamy texture. In addition, we demonstrated, by means of a yeast-based bioluminescence reporter system, that the two strains belonging to the genus Leuconostoc increased the estrogenic activity of the soybean drink. In conclusion, the proposed application of the bacterial strains characterized in this study meets the growing demand of consumers for health-promoting vegetal food alternatives to dairy products.

Urinary TMAO Levels Are Associated with the Taxonomic Composition of the Gut Microbiota and with the Choline TMA-Lyase Gene (cutC) Harbored by Enterobacteriaceae.

Gut microbiota metabolization of dietary choline may promote atherosclerosis through trimethylamine (TMA), which is rapidly absorbed and converted in the liver to proatherogenic trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). The aim of this study was to verify whether TMAO urinary levels may be associated with the fecal relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa and the bacterial choline TMA-lyase gene cutC. The analysis of sequences available in GenBank grouped the cutC gene into two main clusters, cut-Dd and cut-Kp. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocol was developed to quantify cutC and was used with DNA isolated from three fecal samples collected weekly over the course of three consecutive weeks from 16 healthy adults. The same DNA was used for 16S rRNA gene profiling. Concomitantly, urine was used to quantify TMAO by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). All samples were positive for cutC and TMAO. Correlation analysis showed that the cut-Kp gene cluster was significantly associated with Enterobacteriaceae. Linear mixed models revealed that urinary TMAO levels may be predicted by fecal cut-Kp and by 23 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Most of the OTUs significantly associated with TMAO were also significantly associated with cut-Kp, confirming the possible relationship between these two factors. In conclusion, this preliminary method-development study suggests the existence of a relationship between TMAO excreted in urine, specific fecal bacterial OTUs, and a cutC subgroup ascribable to the choline-TMA conversion enzymes of Enterobacteriaceae.

Effect of Cell Concentration on the Persistence in the Human Intestine of Four Probiotic Strains Administered through a Multispecies Formulation.

Studies devoted to evaluating the outcome of different doses of probiotics are very limited, especially for multistrain formulations. In this context, we performed an intervention study that aimed to compare the effect of the administration of two doses (7 billion and 70 billion bacterial cells) of a multistrain probiotic formulation on the persistence of the four probiotic strains that were present in the product in the fecal samples collected from healthy subjects. The overall persistence of the probiotic strains was significantly higher for the 70 billion formulation than for the 7 billion formulation. Furthermore, probiotic strains were detected earlier and for longer for the 70 billion formulation compared to those for the 7 billion formulation. All probiotic strains were recovered alive from the 70 billion preparation, whereas recovery was not possible in a few fecal samples upon administration of the 7 billion preparation. In addition, the overall number of viable probiotic cells recovered on day 14 (i.e., the last day of consumption) was significantly higher for the 70 billion formulation than that for the 7 billion formulation. Finally, we found that the viability of the probiotic cells was stable over the course of the trial independent of volunteers' handling, demonstrating good manufacturing of the product. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that strains belonging to different taxa may coexist in the human gastrointestinal tract upon ingestion of a multispecies probiotic formulation. Moreover, this study suggests that higher doses of bacterial cells in probiotic formulations may permit a higher, earlier, and longer recovery of the probiotics in the feces of healthy adults.

In vitro assessment of the ability of probiotics, blueberry and food carbohydrates to prevent S. pyogenes adhesion on pharyngeal epithelium and modulate immune responses.

Group A streptococci (GAS) cause 20-30% of pediatric pharyngitis episodes, which are a major cause of ambulatory care visits. Therefore, a strategy to prevent GAS dissemination in children could significantly benefit public healthcare. Contextually, we assessed the possibility of employing alternative food-grade strategies to be used with the oral probiotic L. helveticus MIMLh5 for the prevention of pharyngeal infections. First, we demonstrated through an antagonism-by-exclusion assay that guaran may potentially prevent S. pyogenes adhesion on pharyngeal cells. Subsequently, we showed that an anthocyanin-rich fraction extracted from wild blueberry (BbE) exerts anti-inflammatory effects on the human macrophage cell line U937. Finally, we showed that BbE reduces interferon-ß expression in MIMLh5-stimulated murine dendritic cells, resulting in a reduction in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12 and TNF-α. In conclusion, this proof-of-concept study indicates that different food-grade strategies may be concomitantly adopted to potentially prevent GAS colonization and modulate local immune defences.